They Made Him Bald
by Numbuh Phenon
Summary: He got lucky the first time, but after foolishly breaking into their home, they took the chance to break him. The only solace Abby could find was that just like her, they failed.
1. They

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the KND.

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_They..._

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Peaceful patches of ground were rustled as feet hurriedly scrambled across them. The figured stopped and glanced around with a cautious gaze. Pupils squinted as they tried to hone in on anything that didn't belong in the area. It was hard to make out anything in the shadows of the looming trees, but he wouldn't let that stop him. Suddenly his look snapped to the grass a few meters in front of him. Barely noticeable to the untrained eye, but he had been doing this for a long time. Before him was a small indenture in the tiny leafy blades. A few inches long and curved. The making of a footprint; sneaker if the imprint was right. The boy frowned.

She had passed by here.

The rattling of autumns leaves to his right caused him to react. The boy quickly jumped to the side and pressed his back into a nearby oak. Trying to meld with the bark. He held fast, puckering his lips to assure no sound could escape. He stood there for what seemed an eternity and finally she appeared. Her form leapt from the bushes and landed where he was a moment ago. The girl crouched low and began her silent scope of the area.

He stood petrified, a bead of perspiration slowly trailing along his brow. Part of him was amazed though, if she hadn't been right in front of him he would have never guessed she was here. She was that quiet. But the other part of him was screaming at him to stay perfectly still. To tense up to unimaginable levels. If she spotted him, it was all over.

She was still there. Her body rose up and continued to scan the landscape. The girl was so close. All she had to do was turn around. That struck him deep. After a few seconds, she still hadn't moved on. Trying his luck, his foot slowly reeled back so he could blend in with the tree's shadow. But as it stepped down, he halted it as he heard a slight creaking noise. He craned his head and looked down to see his heel pressing into a fallen stick. Any more pressure and it would snap. The boy grit his teeth as he glanced up. If he had heard that sound, then there was no reason why she wouldn't. His fingers dug into the bark when he saw that she seemed a bit more alert. Crud. She heard him didn't she? He clenched his lids shut and awaited the inevitable.

But it never came. He looked on surprised as the girl shrugged and went along her way. Her form kept going until it was out of his vision. The boy adjusted his glasses to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Then he hefted a long sigh of relief as he stepped out from his hiding place. That was _way_ too close for comfort.

He stepped away from the tree, a hand roaming through his wavy chocolate hair in an attempt to calm his jittering nerves. The boy looked to the left and finished with the right before he smirked. His knees bended and his muscles readied to bolt off to find home base and complete this mission. But he stumbled as a whooshing noise came from above and something dropped down behind him. He felt a hand place itself on his shoulder and he froze as the girl chuckled behind him.

"Found ya."

"N-No-"

"Yes."

"No... no fair!" Nigel grumbled as he spun and faced the smirking African-American. "We agreed no fancy Kids Next Door training!" He complained as the two began a trek back into the more open area of Gallagher Park. "So you cheated."

"Abby didn't cheat." The girl coolly replied as she viewed her friend's antics. "She's always been better at Hide'n'Seek, _and you know it_." She said in with a sing song tone at the end.

Nigel snorted at Abby's comment. "Whatever. Once I'm done counting, I'll find you before you can even get a running start." He uttered with a confident smirk.

"Nu-uh." The girl shot back. Her head bobbed up to show the eyes hidden behind the red cap she wore. They sparked with challenge as she gave off her own grin. "Abby be the master seeker, and hiding is her game baby. It's why she's sector V's spy."

Nigel made a noise with his lips as he waved off her claims. "Spy, shmy. It doesn't matter what your rank is, I'm going to kick your butt all the same."

"You mean like these last few rounds?" Abby offhandedly asked, her smirk deepening when she saw Nigel stutter. The dark-skinned child laughed as she tugged the Brit towards the sandbox.

It was just another sunny afternoon down in Gallagher Park. Adults sitting on the benches catching up on the latest news the paper brought them, and parents basking in the breeze whilst their kids played to their heart's delight in the massive playground near the center of the area. Laughter and thrilled screams filled the air as young ones of all ages made proper use of all the equipment around them. Everyone was having fun.

Which was what Abigail Lincoln, Numbuh 5 and current leader of sector V, was doing with her friend, Nigel Uno. The girl had a rough go the past month or so. She was trying to handle her new responsibilities ever since she had been put in charge after the _incident_ with her sister. In fact her job was getting harder since it seemed her sector was shrinking everyday. Cree betrayed them all, Numbuh 9 had been promoted to a special tasks force on the moon base, and everyone else was preparing to move on to other areas where their talents could be better suited. She getting fed with all this, she was only seven for Pete's Sake!

So when things started to slow today at the treehouse and her mom suggested a playdate with Nigel, she accepted wholeheartedly. Her Kids Next Door duties had limited her time with her pal and she hadn't seen him in a while. That and it was fun to barge into his room and practically drag him down to the park. The boy honestly needed to get out more.

Abby had long since dropped the boy's arm when he appeared to follow her willingly. While he went off about something she spared him a glance out of the corner of her vision. He was a character alright. There were the basics. He had a wild imagination, an apparent British accent, and from what everyone in their class had rumored, really cool hair. Her eyes traveled upwards to take in the brown locks. She admitted it was impressive, but other then that it was just hair to her. Those were the basics.

But being his friends, she knew of the not so basic. Like how he had somewhat of a confidence problem. Nigel seemed like that shy kid that you would have to make to first move on to get somewhere. The boy never stepped up to take the initiative mainly because he didn't feel that he could. But Abby knew he had potential. He could be a great operative if he wanted to. He had skill, he had shown that by escaping her for as long as he did. She wasn't a spy for nothing, and it took a lot to elude her. The Kids Next Door would be perfect for him. Sadly, he had no intention of joining. But Abby would keep trying.

She snapped out of her trance as they made it to the sandbox. The home base for their game. Abby turned and sat on the edge as they took a small break before the next session. Her fingers leaned down to comb through the grainy soil, it feeling warm to the touch thanks to the sun's heat. Abby idly played with the material as Nigel sought it best to go over the rules once more.

"Okay, same as before. You have twenty seconds to find a hiding spot. The woods are game, but if you go past the gihugic rock, you're out." He recited as he stood. His glasses slipped down his nose and he fixed them before frowning. "And you can't use your KND training. That's cheating." He mumbled as his arms folded.

"Yea, Abby'll keep it in mind." She grumbled as she rolled her eyes. He looked at her hand as she picked up a collected mound of sand and watched in fascination as it all sprinkled back down into the box. "Ya know, _you_ could have that _fancy_ KND training if you joined." She tried once more.

The Brit sighed as his arms fell to his sides. "I already told you Abby, I'm not really interested in all that stuff." Nigel said as his hand rubbed at his arm. "I mean, why would I want to waste my time fighting adults when I could be watching cartoons instead?" It was a valid argument in his mind, because he really loved him some Saturday morning cartoons. Apparently he lived in a time where they were worth getting up to watch.

At least that's _my_ opinion... moving on.

"It's not just about 'fighting adults'. It's about fighting adults so you _can_ watch cartoons." Abby defended. "There are some creeps out there. Creeps who want to take away the fun of being a kid just cause they can! They think that since their childhood was lame, everyone else's has ta be. But we fight those creeps so kids can keep their childhood and let them live it out. We don't just fight adults because we can, we fight evil adults to help kids everywhere. That's what the Kids Next Door do."

Nigel chewed on his lips as he listened to his friend speak. It sounded like a noble cause, he knew it was. He had heard the tales around school about the kids who ran into operatives. All the cool stories of how they kicked butt and how they got to spend their time at these super awesome treehouses. The exotic places, the fun. Deep down he honestly did want to join.

But,

"I... I don't think it's my thing Abby." He uttered lowly. "I mean I'm not cut out for that sort of work. If I did join then I would just be some kid who always gets in the way." What good would he be? He didn't posses any useful skills. The only thing he had to his name was his hair. He felt even more depressed just admitting that.

"We know that ain't true." Abby spoke up seeing her companion was putting himself down. "Abby knows that ya can do it. Why else would she be tryin' so dang hard ta get you in da club?" She addressed with a smirk. "The only one saying you can't do it is yo'self, and here I am trying ta tell you that you can be the best. Heck, you could be the best operative on the planet if ya wanted to." She chuckled after using the little exaggeration.

Nigel slowly joined in after a moment. "Wishful thinking." He said as his laughter quelled. The boy rubbed the back of his neck as turned his gaze to the birds flocking overhead. "I still not so sure."

"Don't sweat it. Abby don't wanna force ya to make a decision right now." The girl shrugged off as she stood. Her digits gripped the rim of her cap and set her gaze forward. "Personally, Abby's heard enough about the KND right now. So let's chill while Abby shows you how a real hide and seeker plays." She cockily stated as she wiped her hands together getting rid of the excess grit from the sandbox.

Nigel smiled and was about to reply, but the wind had decided on a whim to alter its course. Air carried the tiny specs of sand from Abby's hand to his curly brown locks atop his head. The boy gasped as they made content and lightly moved his hands to pick out the grains while not disturbing his cut.

Abby's brow arched at a agonizing pace as she stood by and watched her friend's silly behavior. "Boy, what are you doin'?"

"My mom just got my hair cut today!" He proclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Picture day is tomorrow. Remember?" He asked in hopes of jogging her memory.

"Oh." Abby simply uttered as Nigel kept messing with his hair. Picture day was a big event for their grade. For every seasonal picture day, the lower grades would have a competition. In order to make sure the kids wouldn't deliberately muck up their outfits before the photo shoot, they would grant the best presentable child a giant jar with a gazillion pieces of candy inside. Every year and every season, Nigel always came out on top. Again, people said it was his hair. It was just _that_ dashing.

So it was no surprise to her that he would freak out over his hair. He did it so he could win. Not that anyone was complaining. Nigel always shared his candy at launch.

But that was tomorrow. Abby wanted to play Hide'n'Seek sometime today. She tapped her sneaker impatiently against the ground, her arms folded and her dark eyes constantly flicking downwards to check her watch. Finally she huffed and tried to jar the boy back to reality. "Okay Nigel! Abby thinks its good 'nuff! Now can we _please_ get back to the game?" She rattled.

Nigel jumped at the sudden shout, but curtly nodded. "Alright." The boy then got on his knees in front of the sandbox and covered his pupils so Abby could conceal herself. "One Mississippi. Two Mississippi," The countdown continued as so and Abby grinned as she prepared to take off.

"Excuse us," Too bad playtime was over.

The voices interrupted Nigel's countdown and Abby's great escape. The two friends then centered their looks on the new people who had arrived. Ten feet moved simultaneously over the opposite edge of the sandbox and didn't stop until they were dead in the center. There were five of them. Five children that looked to be no older then them. Three boys, all outfitted in a blue dress suit and red ties. A short blond, a tall brunette, and a medium size boy with a helmet obstructing his face. Two girls, both wearing an identical light blue and white dresses. One was a platinum blonde with a pink bow, and the other was a rather pudgy girl with brown pigtails sticking upwards.

The five just stood there, taking in Nigel and Abby. Their lips were tucked in small tight smirks, their brows arched downwards slightly and their cold sky-blue eyes shining with hidden intent. It was a moment before they spoke again, all in unison. "We happened to be taking a stroll in the area when we decided we wanted to partake in the activities of the grounds." Their brows narrowed, but just kept smirking. "But then we couldn't help but wonder what you two were doing in _our_ sandbox."

"Uh, playing Hide'n'Seek?" Nigel offered a tad nervously. These kids were giving him the willies. And that was before they started talking in perfect synchronization. He could feel tension building up in the air and tried to disarm it best he could. He coughed into his hand as he searched for the words. "Soo... um, what do you want?"

"Yeah." Abby replied she stood up. A frown made its way to her face as she took in the five before her. Tingles traveled up her spine and bad vibes were flying. "Who are you and what do ya want wit us?"

Their arms moved in sync to their chest as they bowed slightly. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are the Delightful Children From Down The Lane." They spoke, still in perfect unison. "We and our Father just moved into the mansion right down the lane." They finished with a slight giggle. "As for what we are doing here, what else would a child our age come here for? We seek... entertainment."

"Entertainment?" They way they said it made him shiver. He wasn't blind to the sinister intent. He hopped to his feet and backed up beside Abby away from the sandbox. He frowned despite the fear looming in the air. "What sort of entertainment?"

"And what was that before?" Abby butted in. "What did you mean by 'our sandbox'? This is everyone's sandbox, it's everyone's playground!"

The Delightfuls just shook their heads. "Poor deluded girl." They tsked as they waved their hands about. "This playground belongs to _us_. You see, we are the most well-behaved children of the world. Much better than you brats. So it is only logical that _we_ deserve the best, and Father agrees." They grinned as they chuckled. "He bought the right to the whole playground and rebuilt it from ground up for our pleasure, as you can see by the mark." They stated as they pointed to the corner of the box.

Abby and Nigel followed and saw the 'mark' they were speaking about. In the corner was a small emblem. It showed a ebony figure of a flaming man standing behind three letter. E.A.I. Abby's eyes bulged as she recalled the mark from one of her lessons at the training camp. "Evil Adult Industries!" Her expression morphed to a snarl as she snapped at the grinning Delightfuls. "You creeps work for the Adults!"

Nigel gave the playground a once over as he analyzed it with a new eye. "So that's why all those men in suits were here last week." The park had been closed due to construction. A horde of snobby business type folk had came down and were tearing the playground apart. He had thought they were going to replace with something stupid like a strip-mall, but to his and the other kids' relief it only appeared as if they had just renovated. Everything looking fresh and new. The Brit turned to give his own glare at the quintet. "Why would your father tear down a whole playground and change nothing?"

The five children laughed at that. "Oh, there have been a few changes. Ones you will have the honor of seeing first!" They exclaimed as they all sat down in the sand with a collective plop.

Feeling things about to get serious, Abby took a step in front of her untrained friend and lowered her hat. "Numbuh 5 don't care what changes you dorks made. This ain't your park! Everyone can play here!"

Nigel felt himself tense. Abby used her codenumbuh. Which meant he was about to get involved in Kids Next Door business. He knew he should've stayed in bed!

The Delightfuls didn't falter once Abby revealed her alliance. In fact, their expressions grew more devious. "So you two are Kids Next Door? That makes this even more fun!" They chuckled. The short blond reached to his left and his hand gripped a tiny shovel stuck into the sand. "But we believe you've misunderstood us. You see, you won't be playing with our playground," The blond pulled the shovel back and it clicked like a lever.

Abby and Nigel stumbled as the ground started to rumble. Metal whirs flew into their hearing and they peered up to see the two red merry-go-rounds adjacent to both sides of the sandbox spinning out of control. To their shock, the platforms started to rise up from the earth and so did metal wiring that connected somewhere underneath the sandbox. The Delightfuls slowly started to giggle as the walls of the sand pit rose up to conceal their forms.

The children of the playground stepped away in horror as the sandbox continued to rise from its place. When it finally stopped, it was shown to be something of a tank like machine. Heavy-wooded armor protected the children inside while the wheels, links, and drive sprocket gave it its mobility, and the weaponry was the two long metal tentacles with the spinning merry-go-rounds at the ends. It was then Abby and Nigel saw the changes that had been made. The playground had gone from a family fun plaza to a rolling metal death trap, piloted by the Delightful Children.

Speaking of the five, a section of the front slid up to reveal the five laughing deviants behind protective glass. They looked down at their prey. Ready to begin the entertainment. "Our playground, will be playing with YOU!" They laughed as the metal tentacles lifted into the air.

The two kids stood frozen as the mech advanced on them. Nigel just stood staring while Abby fumbled with her communicator. "Guys, this is Numbuh 5, and she could _really_- AAH!" She screamed as he jumped back with Nigel as the swirling merry-go-round buzzed where she had been.

"Don't leave Kids Next Door. We were about to show you our favorite piece of equipment." The Delightfuls sneered as the second merry-go-round reared into the air for a grand slam. "We call it the Merry-Go-POUND!" They roared as the twirling implement of doom surged forth.

Nigel and Abby saw the thing coming. The girl grabbed the boy's arm and dragged him along with her to the side as the merry-go-round came cascading down. Once they landed at a safe distance, the girl looked back to measure the destruction. The merry-go-round had left a massive crater in its wake; it digging into the ground even after contact. After a moment, the tentacle reversed direction and ripped its weapon out of the ground. The ride spun a few times to shake off excess dirt, then continued on to cause torment.

The dark-skinned girl shielded her face as soil rained down on them. As she glanced at the rampaging Delightfuls, her lips crinkled into an annoyed growl, her teeth nicking at her bottom lip occasionally to stop her annoyance from becoming vocal. Kids like those made her sick to her stomach. She had to stop them. Her expression transformed into one of surprise as she heard a groan coming from behind her. Abby looked over her shoulder to see Nigel getting up, wiping any remaining dirt from his hair.

"Stupid little..." He grumbled to himself as he got up. He then nearly spasmed as he felt himself being pushed back down. He snapped in shock to see it was Abby pressing him to the ground. "What are you-"

"Calm down." She said airily as she propped herself. Her frown returned as she looked Nigel square in the eyes. "Stay low and outta sight, while Numbuh 5 deals wit these creeps."

"WHAT?" Nigel sputtered completely bewildered. He did a double take from Abby to the crazy Delightfuls before he tried to force some reason upon her. "Are you out of your mind? You can't face them alone!"

"I hafta." She uttered with conviction. "It's ma job."

"Your job is going to get you killed!" He argued as he took another look at the machine. It tore across the remain of the playground. They were determined to turned it into nothing but ruin, torturing all who stood in their way with a smile. He felt his insides wriggle in discomfort, slight fear of going up against them. But even so, he wouldn't let Abby go alone. "There has to be something I can-"

"No!" Abby snapped sternly. "You're untrained and Abby's not gonna risk ya getting' hurt." A rather callous bang echoed throughout the area and they looked back in time to see the tattered remains of the swing-set land a few feet away. Abby grimaced a bit herself, but forced it down. She was the sector leader now. She could hold off until backup got here. She turned to Nigel once more and nodded. "Numbuh 5 can handle herself."

Nigel gave her a suspicious glare, untrusting. Just then a group of kids ran by, calling for their parents with tear-stained faces. That was the last straw for Abby and she took off the face the new threat of the Delightful Children. The brunette Brit watched his friend go, and defiantly rose up to help her. But as he stepped closer, he slowly came to a stop as he saw Abby dodge and weave blows. He then stayed back as he hid. She was right. He was untrained and couldn't do much to start with. He would just get in the way.

"How boring." The Delightfuls taunted as they watched the dark-skinned girl barely manage to avoid their strikes. They laughed as one got close. "We expected more from the leader of the illustrious Sector V!"

"You want more?" Abby asked as she rolled under an incoming merry-go-round. She reached in her backpack and pulled out a loaded G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A and aimed right where the five were sitting. "Well then chew on this, suckas!"

Volleys of raging gumballs flew at high velocity at the Delightfuls' machine. The gum left sticky splatters all over, but could not penetrate the wooden plating. "Bubblegum? You think some bubblegum will stop us?"

As they laughed, Abby grit her teeth as she twisted a knob on her weapon. "Switching from boo-boo to, OUCH!" She grounded out as the gumballs flew at the speeds of bullets carrying even more power.

The Delightfuls' eyes widened as the gum wads actually started clipping their armor. Some making it through. They flinched slightly as one shot made it to their glass plating. It didn't break through, but it was left indented, cracking spider-webs spreading out. Not to mention it was right over the short blond's forehead.

The five looked down at Abby blankly. "Okay." Their faces snarled as they pressed combos of buttons. "Now we're ANNOYED!" One of the merry-go-rounds moved in front of the Delightfuls' screen, shielding them from anymore rather dubious blows.

Abby kept firing, but found herself backpedaling as the machine kept rolling closer. Gumballs were flying everywhere; being deflected by the spinning weapon. This was just great. The G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A was the most powerful thing she had on her person and it wasn't doing any good. She needed some type of plan. She then noticed something. It seemed that with every blow to the spinning wheel, the gum would build up and slow its rotation. The girl then focused her attention on that. She would disarm them, then figure out how to bring them down.

The five children nestled in the cockpit couldn't help but wonder why Abby kept firing at them when she knew it was futile. Finally she stopped and they grinned as they pulled on the shovel lever. But it was stuck and only then did they begin to catch on. "Huh?" They looked on the see one of their merry-go-rounds slathered in gum. Too sticky to move. They growled as Abby took the moment to taunt.

"What's the matta losers? I gunk up yo' fancy twirl?" She grinned as she took in their disgruntled looks. "Numbuh 5 is one for one and makin' her way up!" She commented on her odds.

The Delightfuls frowned, then smirked as the second merry-go-round slammed beside her, stunning her. "But we're five for three," The gummed up spinner crashed into the ground, the righteous impact tossing Abby in the air. "And still on top!"

The girl tumbled through the air, the surprise quake causing her to drop her weapon. Her arms waved wildly and reached to for something. Anything! Suddenly her right hand snapped onto something, and her body jerked up in response. She groaned as movement slowed and realized she had latched onto to something... gooey? Abby opened her eyes and found to her utter shock that she had grabbed onto the merry-go-round she had just jammed.

The six just sat there stunned. Wondering how the heck that happened. The Delightfuls opened and closed their mouths before shaking their heads. They moved the other limb towards Abby in hopes of finishing her there, but the girl just shielded herself with the bars of the merry-go-round. If they wanted to take her out, they would have to take the metal limb out as well. The game continued on as such for a while, Abby moving across the merry-go-round every time the other got close. The five within the mech snarled and boiled until they became increasingly frustrated. "Oh, COME ON!" They roared as all their hands jerked at the lever. They were stark raving mad.

Abby shook her head at their behavior and plotted on a way to end this. But the footing under her started to shake. The girl fearfully glanced down to see the merry-go-round trying to spin despite its bindings. Her eyes frantically snapped back to the Delightfuls and lever and assumed that if enough power built up, then-

_SWWWWWWEEEEEEEE!_

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Abby screamed as the pressure broke loose and the merry-go-round spun uncontrollably, flinging off any offending gum. It twirled at insane speeds that made her want to lose her lunch. Try as she might, the girl couldn't last much longer. So she steeled her body for impact and let go, her form shooting into the distance.

Abby flew over the wreckage and what was left of the playground. She tensed and prepared for the worst, but it still didn't help that much. Her back collided with the steel of the slide. Air rushed out of her lungs and a small dent was left behind. The girl slumped as she skidded down the rest of the way. Too worn out so gravity had to work overtime. Once she reached the button, she stayed there. Her arms and legs draping over the sides while she groaned.

From his position, Nigel looked on horrified. Abby had been taken down by those dorks. The five of them just laughed in victory while they advanced on her, intending to finish her off. There was no one else here. It was just him, a knocked out Abby, and five evil little brats.

Where the heck had parents gone?

Nigel nervously racked his fingers through his hair, hoping for some kind of miracle. Then out of the corner of his vision, he caught sight of that gum shooter thingy Abby had been using until she dropped it. His hand slowly reached out, afraid like it was going to bite him. He growled off that stupid fear and picked the weapon up and stared at it. He _was_ the only one here.

But he didn't know how to work this thing! He didn't know how do all those jumps and rolls like Abby did. The Delightfuls' cruel laugh brought his attention back to the scene. They were right on top of her. Abby. His friend. An innocent kid who didn't do anything wrong. He didn't know exactly what happened that moment. He didn't know why his eyes were narrowing, or why his fist was gripping the weapon harder or why he was making a starting sprint. He didn't know why any of it was happening.

All he knew is that when he saw one of _his_ friends in danger, something snapped.

"You gave us quite a bit of trouble Numbuh 5." The Delightfuls spoke to the girl's barely conscious form. Grinning at their first victory over the Kids Next Door. Not bad for a debut. "Father will be most... unsatisfied with the state of our device." They muttered in response to the nicks and gum all over their mech. But they just took it all in stride as they prepared to scoop up the girl's body. "But he will be most proud of us bringing back a sector leader and all the juicy little secrets she knows Heh heh heh." They giggled in that creepy little way of theirs. But right about when they were going to scrape Abby up, a gumball flew right past them and clipped yet another piece of their armor. "What now?"

"Hey!" Nigel yelled out from his position a few feet behind them. Both hands held up a smoking G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A, shaking from the weapon's recoil. His stance was sloppy, and he had no honest idea to what he was doing, but the fire burning in his gaze made up for it. "Leave my friend alone delightful freaks! Or you'll regret it!"

"Ah, we wondered where you had crawled off to." The five uttered as the mech turned fully on him. Despite his sudden rush of bravery, he could help but shake a bit. And they picked up on it. "Ha! We didn't know they let chickens in the Kids Next Door. And what kind of stance is that supposed to be?" Once they saw Nigel lower his gaze slightly, they guffawed even louder. "Oh, you're not even an operative! Oh, that's rich!"

Their taunts got to him and his bravado dimmed. But the kid bucked up and stepped back up to the five and glared them down. "I don't need to be an operative to beat you lamebrains!"

The Delightfuls' facial expression slowly blanked as they bore through the Brit. "You think you're a match for us? Taking you down will be child's play!" They roared as a merry-go-round bolted for him.

Nigel's eyes widened as he leapt to the side. He tumbled to the ground and quickly got back up. But he wouldn't have time to fully recover as another wheel barreled right next to him. He avoided most of the damage, but still stumbled around. He could see another coming out of his peripheral, so he bolted to get away in time. The wheel dug into the ground, but chased him all the same. It gained, and the Delightfuls jerked it up causing him to fall flat on his face. He shakingly got to his knees, his head down and the five over him.

"Sorry brat, but you're way out of your league." The Delightfuls cruelly announced as they reared up a merry-go-round. Intent on ending it once and for all. "You're just like your pathetic friend. It's one of you against five of us!" They snipped as they brought the weapon down.

But to their shock, Nigel expertly rolled out of the way. As he rolled, his hand picked up the weapon he dropped and stood in a crouching position. Without glancing upwards he fired off one shot, it traveled through the air and struck the protective glass where Abby had earlier. The damage was too much and the glass shattered away leaving stunned looks on the Delightfuls' faces.

Nigel finally looked up, a cocky smirk present. He didn't know what got into him, but he felt hyped up. Ready to take down the creeps who were charging forth, realizing this wasn't over. The Brit took it all in and laughed. "Let me show you what _one_ kid can do!"

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**I could not for the love of me find a good story explaining how Nigel got bald so I made up one myself. If anyone knows of one, tell me please!**

**Two chapters of this short story left. And the next chapter of Cold Reception will be up later today. Until then, R&R!**

**Later!**


	2. Made Him

_...Made Him..._

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Dizzy. So very, nauseatingly dizzy. Ugh, it was a bad idea to eat all that ice cream before coming here. Where was here? She couldn't bring herself to recall at the exact moment. That and her back felt super sore. Like she had been slammed into metal. But why would she be slammed into metal? When did she get slammed into metal?

And when did the sky get so red. And fuzzy. Wait …

Her hand rose, at least what she hoped was her hand, to grab around at her face. Yep. Something was on it. Her fingers got a firm grip then gently pulled the object away form her dark pupils. She winced at the afternoon sun. Way too orange, but it didn't stop her. The thing was far away from her face to see it was a red hat. Her red hat. The one her sister gave back when…well there's really no point into getting into that right now.

Abby slowly sat up from where ever she was and scanned her surroundings. She lifted her right arm up to glance at what she was sitting on. The slide. The was part of the playground. She was at the playground. Well, what was left of it anyway. Her eyes grew to the size of saucers as she took in the destruction around her. Scratch that last statement, she wasn't sure if _any_ of the playground was left. Misshapen craters were scattered about here and there, the sea-saw was in splinters, the monkey bars were broken and bent in a fashion similar to a silly straw, and then there were children covered in speckles of dirt, crying that their play area was ruined.

It was…horrible. The young girl found herself cringing at the sight of it. This was a kid's worst nightmare! What sort of monster would do such a thing. Abby knitted her brows in thought as she practically banged at her skull to get her memory working. Suddenly she froze as it all came back. _A_ monster didn't do this. It was _five_ little monsters.

The Delightful Children From Down The Lane!

Abby growled as her fists clinched and trembled. Those uptight freaks did this! They their dad build up the playground just so they could tear it back down and laughed while they tormented other kids. The whole battle was replaying itself. She told Nigel to stay put, and charged ahead to stall until backup arrived. Everything was going smoothly until she accidentally latched onto one of the merry-go-rounds. That was when they flung her aside like nothing and probably planned on finishing her while she was incapacitated.

Suddenly her brows shot up as she thought of that last sentence. If they were going to get rid of her, then why was she still here? The dark-skinned girl placed her cap on its rightful place atop her scalp and frantically looked around to see where the Delightfuls had ran off to. A rumble and more dirt balls flying made her look to the left. When she saw the scene she did a double take. The Delightfuls were still here in that menacing machine. But it wasn't the five spoiled brats who had her attention. It was the kid fighting them. Nigel.

Abby's jaw unhinged as she watched the kid scramble about. He ducked and rolled in an unprofessional manner, his untrained sloppiness shining. The boy was making use of the G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A and blindly firing when he had an opening. The sector leader couldn't believe it. His form was flawed, he was handling the weapon all wrong. He probably had no earthly idea what he was doing. But even with all that, he was somehow... winning?

The Delightfuls snarled as a merry-go-round aimed straight for the annoying twerp, only to hold themselves from ripping their hair out when he got out of the way. This was embarrassing! Here they were putting Father's new mech to its full capacity and they still couldn't land a blow on this pesky untrained brunette. It was an outrage, a disgrace! They took down Numbuh 5 no problem, but now some little coward had them on the ropes? They were at a level of anger they had never reached before.

The short blond gripped the lever, his knuckles turning white. He reared back his arm and slammed forward wanting to end this punk once and for all. "Hold, STILL!"

Nigel snapped his head up as he heard them roar. He quickly stepped back to avoid the blow, but tripped on a nearby rock. He panted as he hit the ground, but didn't let it deter him. He flung up the G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A and fired. "Make me!" He yelled as the gumballs flew.

The sweet chewy candy went everywhere. Despite Nigel's sudden rush of bravery, he still couldn't dismiss the fact he didn't know how to properly wield 2x4 technology. With their protective glass broken, any normal operative would've taken the fore down before they could recover. Nigel had tried that, but the weapon's strong recoil scrambled his targeting sense. But the child pressed on nonetheless.

But he did have an ace up his sleeve. While he was lacking skill, the Delightfuls were lacking in focus. The fact they were on the verge of defeat by some worthless nobody had angered them to insane levels. Their calm and control aura had already been tested to its limits by Numbuh 5's taunts. But this? You could almost see the smoke spouting from their ears. So blinded by fury, it was no surprise the children were facing such slip-ups.

"Ah!" The five gasped in surprise as Nigel suddenly rounded on them. The wild volley of gumballs caused a wave of panic to overcome them and their hands fumbled with the controls. The metal limbs flailed about and they could not raise them to defend themselves in time. So as gumballs came closing in on them, they clenched their eyes such and waited.

_BAP! BAP! SPLAT! BAP!_

"OWW!" They all cried as the candy hit them hard. They could feel the bruises on their skin, and soreness following. But they still managed to stand. Nigel had stopped his fire to try and find out to reload, so the Delightfuls took the moment to take in the damage. They felt all gooey and sticky and looked down at their bodies to... "AAAAHHHH!" They screamed as they viewed the horror.

The absolute _horror_ that had befell them.

"O-Our clothes." They whispered in out of sync terror as they glanced down. Their clean, neat, and shapely dresses and suits were ruined! Gum stuck to them like glue all over their ties and skirts. The more they tired to get it off, the messier it became. They were nearly in tears. Father had brought these for them. But even with that tragedy, it wasn't the worst of the damage.

They five glanced up to share a look with each other, but then their eyes bulged as they screamed bloody murder. "OUR HAIR!" Indeed. Bubblegum had got stuck all in their locks. The tangles, the stickiness, the never ending split ends. I need no description for that. All of the Delightfuls just gaped like fish out of water.

Except for Lenny. He just crossed his arms and huffed. That's what they got for making fun of his helmet. Who was laughing now?

The Delightfuls' (Exempting Lenny) faces contorted into a look of pure unadulterated hatred. Their forms trembled, their teeth snarled, their brows knitted, their faces colored red, and their eyes glowered down at Nigel who was just now looking back up. "_You._" They hissed as their glare petrified the Brit. "You'll _PAY _for this." They gritted as they reared up both merry-go-rounds, the weapon charging and being spun dangerously past their limitations. "_YOU'LL PAY!_"

"!" Nigel made a surprised noise as he fumbled with the switch on the G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. Why wasn't the stupid thing working? But it was too late, for the merry-go-rounds came crashing down. Cutting his losses, the boy screamed as he jumped out of the way. He barely made it, but at the cost of his only weapon, it being crushed as the merry-go-rounds tunneled into the ground. He landed with a plop, but his gauntlet wasn't over. The earth under him crumbled and he instinctively rolled away as a merry-go-round came barreling upwards. Knowing there was one more, he jumped to the side as the second one tried to deliver its own twirling uppercut. His eye searched for something to assist him, but then the earth tumbled again as he lost his balance. The Delightfuls jerked the metal tentacles from the ground not caring if part of them was still buried. The force caused the ground to cave in on itself and it crumbled away into a trench, Nigel falling down in it.

The Brit quickly got up and wiped all the soil from his clothes and hair. Man, his mom was going to kill him! But he didn't have time to think on that as another merry-go-round landed right beside of him. "YAAH!" He shrieked as it graced his shirt. He placed a hand to his pounding heart and placed his other arm down on something as he caught his breath. "Whew! That was...close?" He uttered frighteningly as he slowly looked down to see _what_ his hand had gripped onto. His pupils shrunk and his glasses nearly fell off.

He had held on to the metal limb. But before he could yank his arm away, the tentacle was swung back into the air with him on it as the Delightfuls reeled him in.

Nigel's other hand joined the first one as he gripped for dear life. His body was being carried into the air and he clenched his lids shut as he waited for it to end. Movement halted and he opened his eyes when he heard five evil little chortles coming from his front.

"What do we have here?" The Delightfuls giggled as they reveled in the Brit's fear. "Looks like we caught ourselves a chicken." They taunted. A look of sadistic glee overcame their expression as they rose the other merry-go-round up and pointed it at the hanging kid. Its spin was sickeningly hypnotizing as Nigel watched the weapon twirl. He broke out in cold sweat as he predicted what they would do with it. He was right on the money as they began to laugh insanely. "Let's see if you can still run around after we TAKE YOUR HEAD OFF!" They proclaimed, overcome by anger at what Nigel did to them.

Untidy attire plus Delightful Children, equals homicidal maniacs apparently.

Nigel went numb as the weapon came towards him. His fear caused his hands to slacken, and he let go of the tentacle he was hanging off of in the nick of time. The boy was saved by lady luck yet again, and the woman wasn't finished. The Delightfuls failed to abort their strike, so the merry-go-round kept charging forth until it cut right through the other tentacle. Sparks crackled and wires spasmed as the limb was cut in two. The end with the still spinning merry-go-round crashed into the ground, and its rotation caused it roll off like a wheel. It dug a crude path into the ground as it zigged and zagged until it crashed into a nearby tree. The oak creaked and bent over the totaled merry-go-round, slowly trying to reach the ground as gravity built up around it.

The Delightfuls stared blankly at the destruction they had brought to their own machine. They then turned to Nigel in a slow, eerie manner. "Congratulations." They mockingly praised as their tank centered fully on him, the remaining merry-go-round twirling so fast you could hear it. "You have officially evoked our full wrath!" They raged as they charged yet again.

With no weapon, and no other options, Nigel did the only thing he could do in a situation like this. He put those legs of his to good use and hightailed it outta there. He ran in circles, squares, whatever shape you could think of, but he still couldn't shake those freaks. The boy ducked every so often to make sure they didn't keep good on their threat to take his head off. He made a quick right and looked back to see that they failed to make a sharp a turn as he did. Yes! Now he just had to find a way too-

"WHOA!" His foot caught underneath something and the Brit fell flat on his face. With a groan, he propped himself up, his other hand feeling around for his fallen glasses. Once he re-obtained the specs, he quickly slapped them on and looked up. It was the tree the torn merry-go-round had rammed into. His gaze lowered to the still twirling tentacle swinging around. That what must have tripped him up. "Of all the stupid..." He trailed off as his frustration was replaced with fear as a large shadow loomed over him. His blood ran cold as he turned to face the grins of five deviants. "C-Crud!"

"Crud indeed, you brat!" The Delightfuls chuckled as their features darkened. "You've ruined our outfits, our machine, and our villainous debut! But your luck has finally run out boy, and it's high time we got some poetic justice!" The exclaimed as they raised the merry-go-round for one last spin. "So long loser, it's been _delightful_!"

Back at the slide, Abby's eyes widened in horror. If she didn't do something, Nigel was done for. The girl managed to get to her feet, but then pain and weariness from earlier slowed her efforts severely. She trudged through the ruble, but it would do no good. She wouldn't make it in time!

Nigel sat frozen as the merry-go-round came closer and closer. This was how he was gonna go huh? Well then it sucked. He wasn't even eight-years-old. Besides, he didn't want to be buried under some old falling at the seems oak tree. Honestly, the thing looked like it would give if someone gave it as much as a... The Brit gave off a cocky smirk he would soon be famous for.

The Delightfuls arched a brow, but paid it no mind. "Enjoy your meaningless smile. It'll be the last one you'll ever have." They grinned themselves as the merry-go-round was practically hovering over the brunette. "Any last words?"

"Just one." Nigel suddenly reared back his legs, and gave the tipping oak a swift kick at its weak point. "TIMBER!"

"Timber? What the heck is that supposed to-"

_CRACK!_

The five snapped to the source of the sound and looked on astounded as the oak toppled right over there machine. "AAAAHH!" Their wail was cut short as the oak smashed the wooden sand-box tank into into nothing more than a pile of splinters. Smoke erupted as something fell out of the front, and as it cleared, it was shown to be the Delightfuls. Their uniforms were blacken by smog, covered in sticky gum, and they sat on the verge of tears.

It wasn't fair! They were the most well behaved children in the entire world. They weren't supposed to lose! But sadly, for them anyway, they did indeed lose. Father would be most unsatisfied with their performance.

And since they lost, that could only mean that Nigel,

"I...I won?" Nigel asked himself in a quiet voice. Not quite believing it himself. His hand shot up to wipe off hiss glasses and looked around him. Sand-box tank thingy crushed. Check. Merry-go-rounds disabled along with new found fear of said ride. Check. And five smoking, crying, evil, gum covered children. Check. Yep, he won. "I won." He reaffirmed, a bit louder and a smile creeping up the corners of his mouth.

Finally, he laughed and jumped up into the air. "YEAH! In your faces delightful creeps!" He taunted, laughing even harder at the five's weak glare. "That's right, you lost and _I_ won. Ya wanna know why? Because I'm _that_ awesome! Yeah, who's the losers now? Huh? Huh? Not me!" He went on, bragging over his first victory. The boy stood up straight and proudly stated the fact again. "You dorks just got your preppy butts handed to you. Courtesy of-"

"Nigel!" He jumped a bit at the call of his name, but just as quickly calmed down when Abby finally reached his side. Her hands moved behind her back, and she girt her teeth as pushed it back into place with a crack. After that was done, she turned to check over her brunette. "Are you CRAZY? Takin' on them creeps by yo'self! You al'ight?"

"Alright? I'm better than _alright_. Look Abby, I won!" He exclaimed excitedly as he pointed to wreckage of the Delightfuls tank. "I beat those guys. Me!"

The dark-skinned girl rose up the rim of her cap as she took in the sight herself. "Yea... you... won." She said with a certain gauge of surprise. She knew her friend had it in him, but to beat the Delightful Children. The girl made a noise of approval as she took her hat off fully, it and her hands traveling hips. "You really did beat 'em."

"Yeah I know!" Nigel nodded as he let it get to him. "It happened all so fast. It... It was..."

"Terrifying?"

"Fun!" He answered vigorously, shocking Abby. "I mean sure, it _was_ terrifying. But in a good way! My heart was racing, blood pumping. Ah, it was all just so cool and thrilling!" He laughed. "Did you see me out there?" He asked as he held his arms up and moved his body around in a agile like fashion. "I was like a-"

"An untrained young gun." Abby finished as she regarded Nigel. While she was proud of her companion, she didn't want to let this victory go to his head. Not if his earlier comments were to go by. "You need some heavy work, boy."

Nigel waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Cadet camp and all that, but I'm sure with a little tuning I could-"

"Nigel, you didn't have any idea what you were doing!" Abby interrupted. "Your lucky ya didn't go and get yourself killed!"

"I beat them, didn't I?"

Abby sighed before she began a lecture. "Honestly Nigel, ya got lucky." She started as she waved her hat around while she explained. "The Delightfuls were so angry, that they were making mistakes. Had they been in their right minds, they woulda taken you down easily. They would have never chop off dey own limb, and if that tree hadn't been right there, then you woulda been buried!"

Nigel gaped at Abby words. Here he thought she would be proud of him for stepping up to them. Thankful that he risked his life to save her's. But here she was trying to downplay everything he did just now. Who exactly beat the Delightful Children? _He_ did. He beat them while they knocked her- His eyes widened in realization before they settled into a frown. "Oh, I see." He rattled as he folded his arms. "You're just jealous!"

"WHAT?"

"You heard me! You're jealous because I beat them when you couldn't! I succeeded where you failed and it makes you mad."

Abby just stared at the boy with an emotionless look. Finally her lips crinkled into a frown and her eyes narrowed. "Are you outta your...!" Her face lit with alarm as she caught something moving behind the Brit. She dropped her hat and leapt forward to tackle him down. "Look out!"

The kids went down as a laser beam flew over their heads. They looked on the where the energy traveled, then back to where it originated from. There standing after finally coming to their senses, were the gummed up Delightful Children, only they didn't look so delightful. Not saying that they ever did. "You good for nothing idiots!" The children berated as they kept their laser trained on them. "You ruined everything! Our clothes, our hair, our mech, our playground! You won't stop until you've demolished everything! You rotten Kids Next Door!"

Abby stood up despite the laser and scoffed at her foes. "Yea right. You fools ain't got no one ta blame but yo'selves. It was either all or nuthin for you. If couldn't have this playground then no one could."

"Quiet you!" The Delightfuls growled as they took a step up. "We're not leaving without something to show for all of this!"

Nigel rose his fist up and snarled. "Bring it on creeps. I beat you once, I can do it a second time if you'd like!" He threatened while Abby silently rolled her eyes.

The Delightfuls glared at that. Even though they would have normally shrugged that off, it would do them no good here. That stupid little twit had destroyed their machine, messed up their handsome good looks and would brag about it. They wanted to do something, but with Numbuh 5 back up and the only thing keeping the two back being the tiny laser they had... They wanted to take something. Anything that could- They jumped in surprise when the girl on the left stepped on something. She rose her foot up to reveal, a hat. A red hat. Grinning, the Delightfuls picked it up and held it up for all to see. "Now what do we have here?"

Abby's eyes widened as her hands shot to her scalp. When she felt nothing, she yelled. "That's MY hat!"

"You mean OUR hat!" The five giggled as they took the cap into their pockets. "You made us destroy our playground, and now you've made us want to destroy your precious headgear." They grinned as they began stepping back. "Yes. We shall be perfectly sated by watching it burn."

Abby looked at them as they retreated with a depressing aura overcoming her. "No." That was _her_ hat. That hat was the only thing she had left to remember her sister for who she _used_ to be. Her foot moved to try and stop them, but the threat of being shot at kept them at bay.

"This isn't over Kids Next Door!" The Delightful vented as Lenny pressed a button on his wrist. A round metal platform grew out from their shoes and began to levitate into the air. "We'll make sure you pay for this!" Their look then hardened as they centered in on Nigel. "Especially, _you_." The five dirty children said nothing more as they retreated off into the horizon, taking Abby's prized hat with them.

Nigel stood beside his friend, a bit shaken by the Delightfuls' attention to him. But then the Brit shook it off and tried to pull at the girl's shoulder. "Come on! We can't just let them get away!"

"We can't do anything now!" Abby grounded out as she slapped his hand away. Her hands then rose up and motioned to the area around them. "Look around you Nigel! Do you see what they did? If they did all _this_ with one machine, then think of what they have back at their home."

"So that's it? You're just going to give up?" Nigel questioned bewildered. He had never been around Abby when she acted this serious. But he didn't understand why she was acting so serious on the first place. There was just five of them. If they both went after them now, then they could surely get Abby's hat back. "We can't just let them win!"

"Do you think this is a game?" Abby fussed as she turned on him. "I don't think you understand how serious this is, boy!"

"How hard could it be?"

"Agrrh!" The girl felt like ripping her ebony hair out. Nigel just wasn't getting how risky this whole thing was. He was still too hung over from his victory. Now he thought he could do anything. Finally, she just huffed as she marched right past him. "Abby don't have time for dis crud." She muttered.

"Hey!" Nigel exclaimed surprised. "Where are you going?

"To the treehouse." The dark-skinned kid answered as she kept walking. "Abby's got ta report these new villains to the moonbase."

"You're just going to report them? What about your hat?"

"It's as good as ashes now."

"But if we both went and-"

Abby had had enough of Nigel's arguments. The afternoon had got to her and she finally decided to let it out. "The _both_ of us couldn't do a thing against them! We would get blasted the moment we walked in there because _you_ and yo' cocky attitude would get in Abby's way!"

Nigel's retort died the moment he heard that. His hand slowly lowered and he just stared at his friend's back. His mouth opened and closed for a few minutes. Not believing it. Is that what she thought of him? An annoyance. "So that's it huh?" He questioned with a frown. "You don't think I can do it?"

The sector leader sighed before she turned to her friend. "We got lucky today. That's it." Abby looked back down the path and continued on, shaking her head. "You're just one kid, Nigel. You can't do it this time."

The Brit said nothing as he watched his friend exit the park. Leaving him there alone. The air began to chill as evening rolled in. The streetlamps flickered to life but Nigel was still there. They got lucky. Was that it? He was only one kid. He was always that one kid. That one kid who couldn't do anything.

"No." He uttered defiantly. His fist clenched as he gazed out to where he last saw the Delightfuls. "I'm tried of always lagging behind. This time is different. I'll show them. I'll prove to them what _just one kid_ can do." He proclaimed, repeating his words from earlier. "I'm going to get that hat back. I'll get it and kick those Delightful dorks' butts once and for all!" He yelled to the stars as his fist shot into the air. The Brit adjusted his glasses and walked to his house to prepare for a trip to the Delightful Mansion Dane The Lane.

Never let it be said that Nigel Uno wasn't stubborn and reckless. And never let it be said that it didn't cost him.

* * *

**Two updates in one day! Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying this so far. One more long chapter to go. R&R!**

**Later.**


	3. Bald

_... Bald._

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_

Jealous. He had the nerve to call her jealous? She would be laughing if she wasn't so cross with the boy. Stupid stubborn boy.

Abby laid strewn across her cushioned couch within the Sector V treehouse. Her nails dug into the paper of the magazine she was trying to read, but unfortunately, her miffed attitude restricted her from concentrating. Her brows knitted as she snapped to the next page, but when she caught herself re-reading the same paragraph, she grunted and chucked the blue catalog somewhere into the recesses of her room. That was last month's issue anyway.

The mocha skinned child folded her arms and pouted towards the ceiling. Some baby type thing she had told herself she had grown out of. But dang it! The way Nigel acted sometimes; he was surely going to lead her to a pre-teen grave. I mean, sure he beat the Delightfuls, but he didn't have to rub it in like he was doing. Honestly, he was lucky to still be standing. The Brit made so many flaws that would have never flew had those creeps been utterly focused. In the moments she was stunned against the slide she was fearful for his life.

But did he care? _Nooo._ When she offered him worry and criticism, he gave her immaturity and labeled her as jealous. Abby was most certainly NOT jealous! Besides, they got away so it shouldn't have counted. They totaled most of the playground and fled. With her hat no less. Her hand rose up to her hair at the thought of her favorite cap. She felt naked without the old piece of clothing. Her frustration with the brunette escaped her as she sighed dejectedly.

Words couldn't describe what that hat meant to her. To her family. That red cap went all the way back to her mother's younger days when she was an orphan on the streets of Nantes. It was passed down to her sister, then to her when Cree thought she was ready to have it. It was a family heirloom, and the remnant of her sister's better days. But now it was more than likely crackling to a crisp in the Delightfuls' furnace.

Abby kicked her legs over the side of the couch and moved into a sitting position, her hands glumly cradling under her chin. Stupid spoiled Delightfuls. Stupid hardheaded Nigel. He manages to win one time and suddenly he's some big shot. Knowing him, he was probably in his room shuffling on his bed. Moping like she was. They would be sending glares at each other for the next few days until one of them finally decided to apologize.

Her expression wavered as she lowered her arms. Maybe she should save them both the drama and get it over with. It was kind of a silly argument. And Nigel did handle himself pretty well out there. But she shook that off as she frowned again. Why should _she_ have to apologize first? She always had to make headway in these keeps of things. Nigel needed to stop acting like such a baby. If she was _so_ jealous and he was _so_ much better then maybe they didn't need to hang out anymore. Not if she would just 'hold him back'. Hmph.

The leader's internal thoughts were interrupted as her terminal rung. Groaning, the half-french girl strode over to the computer to see who was calling this late. Her curfew was at nine and her mom didn't like her staying in the treehouse on school nights. Her fingers glided over the keys as she pulled up the screen to see who was calling. If that Kenny kid called her to rant one more time-

**Incoming Transmission from Global Tactical Officer.**

Abby froze as she read that. This was important. She opened the connection and the screen started to blur into focus as the snowy static cleared away. Once she could make out the older operative, she stood at attention. "Numbuh 274, sir!"

"At ease Numbuh 5." The blond helmet wearing officer replied. Abby relaxed as the boy scratched at his bangs covering his eyes. "I'm calling in regards to your latest mission report." As he said this, his hand moved off screen to pick up a few sheets of paper. He flipped through trying to search for what he was looking for. "It states you had an encounter with five kids wrecking the Gallagher Park playground. The... Delightful Children From Down The Lane. Correct?"

The girl nodded, a bit anxious in the presence of the esteemed Numbuh 274. "Yes sir. They were a bunch of creepy dorks who wanted the park to themselves."

"I'm afraid they're more then some creepy dorks." Chad uttered, surprising Abby. "These 'Delightfuls' are real business. Over the last few months, we've had numerous kid villains claim they were on the 'Delightfuls' payroll. And the five themselves work for a bigger guy that's got Global Command on edge."

"Who is it?"

"We don't have much. Not even a name. Some sectors are sending up their spies to hopefully reinstate our old Spy Division to get more on the guy. We have tabs on his new mansion, but other than that, nada." Chad filed the reports away and turned to Abby once more. "He and the Delightfuls are also possible suspects in Sector Z's disappearance a year ago. But its not much to go on."

Abby angled her head at the sound of that. She was right. Those freaks were a lot more than they let on. And now this other guy. Shrugging those thoughts off, the leader turned the Officer and awaited orders. "Do ya want Numbuh 5 ta send up someone to assist you guys?"

"Negative on that." Chad brushed off with a polite wave of the hand. "I just thought it would be wise to inform you since they live right down the lane from your sector... No pun intended." He lightly joked. "Oh yes. Also the alarms from the safety perimeter we set up around their home went off a few minutes ago. I want you to go and check to make sure no innocent kid is wandering around."

Abby's eyes filled with surprise at that. Who would go mess around in the Delightfuls' backyard? Even if they didn't know who lived there, snooping on unknown territory was never a good idea. Who would-

Suddenly her thoughts darkened as she thought of Nigel. He seemed really determined when she told him he couldn't beat the freaky five. He was known to have a stubborn streak about him. But he wouldn't... No. Surely he was smarter then that. But knowing her friend... Her tongue clicked against the roof of her mouth as she began to worry all over again. It couldn't hurt to go make sure he wasn't doing anything stupid. "Don't worry, sir. Numbuh 5 will-"

"_Come in moonbase!_"

Abby's words were cut off as a terminal next to Chad went off. Red lights were flashing, bells going off and the blond's eyes were visible due to how much the message rattled him. There were sounds of battle before whoever called in spoke.

"_This is Numbuh 686 of Decommissioning Squad- GRH!_" Numbuh 686 grunted as an explosion could be heard. "_We are pinned down in the Hendry Middle School parking lot and are facing heavy teen opposition!_" He paused and the tat-tats of his weapon could be heard. **"**_Our D.O.H-D. are smashified, half of my team is captured- _BOOM_- AND I COULD _REALLY _USE SOME HELP! ASA-NOW!_"

Chad's lips crinkled into a frown as he responded to the message. "Numbuh 686, I sent you to track down Numbuh 71, not engage a whole teen football team!"

"_IT WAS A SET UP!_" The operative roared as sounds of fire got louder and louder. "_That backstabbing Numbuh 11- YAAAH!_" He screamed as the volley of lasers overcame his voice. The transmission frizzled until it finally went dead.

"Cree!" Abby hissed as her fists tightened. So the no good little miss traitor finally decided to come out of hiding huh? Well now it was high time she paid for what she did. Biting back her growl, the dark skinned girl faced the still Global Tactical Officer with a salute. "Sir! Numbuh 5 requesting permission to send her sector in as back up for the D.O.H-D.O.H squad!"

Chad tightened his lips as he thought it over. Numbuh 5's sector was in the area and could get there faster than anyone else. But they were short on numbers and with the strained history between Abby and her sister. He sighed. "Permission granted. But what about the Delightfuls'?"

Abby waved it off as she turned to prep the rest of her team. "Aw, it's probably jus' a squirrel or something." She baited. All past thoughts of Nigel and his probable involvement flew out of her head. Her eyes hardened as she set her priorities. "Besides, dealing wit these teens is more important then some dumb idiot snoopin' where he shouldn't be snoopin'!" She snarled. The angst against Cree clouding her judgment. The transmission had ended and Abby slapped the big red button sounding off the mission alert through the treehouse.

As she sprinted down the corridor to load up in the S.C.A.M.P.E.R, a voice in the back of her head couldn't help but speak of Nigel once more. But she forced it back down. He didn't like to take charge and rush out into the unknown. He tended to play it safe.

* * *

Other than the rally of kids within the treehouse, the rest of the neighborhood was winding down.

A lone firefly fluttered away from its group and freely soared through the evening air. It's never ceasing wings took it all across the neighborhood. Past the home carrying a joyful girl hosting a tea party with her rainbow monkeys, ignoring the abode of a boy flinging his rugby ball in the living room, and it zoomed right past the open garage where another lad was tinkering with his trike. No, the little insect continued on until it reached the end of the lane.

The glowing bug landed on a fleshy hairy landing spot while it took a short rest. It made a barely audible creaking noise as it started to take off. Its life about to take it elsewhere. But sadly, it was cut short as a grizzly hand rose to squish the the bug.

"Stupid flies." A garden worker muttered as he swatted the insect's remains away. The man then scanned the bushes in front of the mansion and gave his assessment. All the plants rimming the outer wall was trimmed up nicely, and they had completed the backyard hours ago. Father should be happy enough. He rose up his burly arm and glance at his watch. It was dinner time. "Alright boys! Time to call it a day!" He yelled out as the others began moving to leave.

"Hey, boss." A man spoke up as he packed his hedge-trimmers. "What about that tree over there?" He asked, motioning to the thin looking tree that hugged the wall.

The overseer looked to the offending plant, scratching at the itchy Evil Adult Industries symbol on his uniform. "Eh, let the morning crew take care of that. It's gotta go before they can install the Brat-Zapper 9000." As he said that, he and the rest of the crew left to load up the truck before they headed home.

After they had left, the bushes around the tree rustled and soon Nigel's head popped out. The boy hmphed as he watched the men go, his fingers flicking leaves out of his hair. "Stupid adults." He mumbled. They had practically just gave him the way in.

The truck sped off down the road and the brunette made his move. He rose from the bushes, gripping his backpack filled with snacks and some stray equipment he thought would come in handy. He sized up the tree, then adjusted his glasses as he latched on and started his climb. Nigel held the wood as hard as he could as he felt around for new places the climb up. He gripped the branch, and swung his leg up to set on the next one. His other foot joined the other and he used his hands to pull himself up and set his posture straight. His arms shot out and he stumbled as he tried to keep his balance. His hand meet with the cold wall and he leaned on it as he looked up. Determination creeping into his features, he gently pushed away from the wall and bent his knees. The branched creaked and groaned at his weight, and once he built up enough strength, he jumped up. The force of his leap caused the branch to snap away, and his hands held on tight to the wall as his feet scrapped to get the rest of his body up.

Now with a sturdy holding, Nigel positioned himself into a sitting position atop of the wall. His legs dangled over the side and he took in the area around him. What immediately got his attention was the large beautiful mansion sat centered in the property. The huge three story building had light blue coated walls, burgundy roof tiling, and white trimming around the sides and windows. With the four prodding yellow tinted chimneys, he almost mistook it for a giant birthday cake.

The land around the mansion was impressive as well. The gardeners had planted a decent number of trees waiting to bloom and the hedge maze to the side looked in order. But all wasn't important. He was here for a reason. Nigel shook off his backpack and set it to the side and began rummaging through it. "Come on... where is... Ah ha!" He exclaimed as he produced a pair of Yipper theme binoculars. A birthday present from a friend. He brought them up to his glasses, and squinted his eyes as he scouted the front door.

To his surprise, there were six figures at on the porch. Five small shadows, and a large adult sized one. They were basked in the light, so he couldn't make anything out, but he had a hunch on who it was. Those Delightful freaks and their so called dad. Nigel watched the scene play out from his spot. He couldn't hear them, but from the looks of it, the father was scolding for something. The Brit wanted to believe they were getting punished for what they did today, but he doubted that. Probably fussing at them for failing. He smirked when he remembered that he caused that.

Finally, the father walked away from the Delightfuls. The five retreated back into the house and the man strolled down to his limo parked out front. Before he clasped the doorknob, his hand rose to tap at his pipe and a cloud of smoke emerged from it. The boy scoffed at his habits and lowered his tool, waiting as the vehicle drove down the lot taking the adult with it. As it disappeared from sight, Nigel grinned. Now that the dad was gone, this would be more simple than he thought. Putting on his backpack again, he got to his feet and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth as he jumped off the side into the yard. His stomach lurched as he plummeted, and when he finally met the ground, he dropped down to one knee and one hand moved to stable his footing.

"Huh, that wasn't so bad." He spoke to himself as he stood up. He pounded his fist together as he set his gaze on the mansion. "Now to get that hat back." He then took off towards the mansion, intent on completing his first unofficial mission. He would show them. Them and Abby what he could do. Got lucky she says. Ha! Luck had nothing to do with it. He knew what he was doing then, and knew what he was doing now. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he placed her hat in her hands at school tomorrow.

"She'll be all like, '_Wow Nigel! You got my hat back! Abby was totally wrong, you're awesome!_'. And I'll be all, '_Yeah! I told you so! Those dorks didn't even know I was there._'" He praised giddily as he served through the yard, ducking behind any source of cover as he got closer. When the light of the front doors came more visible, he leapt out from behind the birdbath and tucked his lips shut as he landed on his belly, crawling the rest of the way.

The boy wormed across the grass and finally stopped under a window. He sat up against the wall, carefully not to let anything show over the glass. Turning around, he slowly peeked up and looked inside to see if anyone was in. He was met with the sight of the main foyer. A big empty room with a red carpet coming down the stairs and leading all the way to the front door. Other than a few desks, floor plants and doors leading to other parts of the mansion, the Delightfuls were no where in sight.

Excellent.

Prying off from the wall, Nigel silently made his way to the porch. He steadily climbed up the steps and pushed himself up against twin doors. Shifting his eyes under his clear specs, he rose his hand to gently twist the knob. Because no one would ever expect someone to sneak in through the front door. They would be too busy guarding all the other possible shady entrances. Perfect logic.

The click signaled him to start opening the door. He carefully pulled back, cursing the hinges when they, made that annoying creaky noise. It's like no one notices it during the day, but when you're trying to be sneaky it might as well be as loud as a bomb detonating. Ahem, getting off topic. Once it was cracked to where he could slip in, Nigel did just that as he sidestepped into his foes' abode. No turning back now.

Once inside, Nigel kept his pupils trained on the foyer as he slowly pushed the door shut. He twisted the knob before it made a clicking noise, and only let go once it was firmly shut. It was dark inside the mansion, he winced as his footsteps seemed to make a slight echo against the floor. But no one had noticed him and he had to get what he came for and leave even quicker. But sadly, he had no idea where to start looking. For all he knew, they could've burned the hat by now. He chewed his lip as he thought that. Not only would this had all been for nothing, but then Abby would be out of a hat.

Suddenly, a dim glow came from a door just across from his spot. Figuring it was better than nothing, he tip-toed over to see what was going on. Maybe he could find out where to start looking.

Hugging the wall, Nigel peered into what he guessed to be a living room. There was a large couch sitting in front of a large T.V. Beside the couch was a man. Some butler if his clothing and posture was anything to go by. But on the couch itself were the Delightful Children. He could tell by the five small heads. They were seated on the furniture, watching some documentary on the history of business and industry.

Boring.

"Shall I draw your baths, sirs and madams?" The butler asked asked the children in that snooty yet respectful tone. His pointy nose was aimed for the sky and his hands were holding something behind his back. "I would highly recommended it. Took rid yourselves of excess hair, you see." He explained, mentioning their haircuts. They had to get the gum out somehow.

"Fine." The five brooded out, not really caring one way or another.

Nigel watched the conversation while trying to stay awake. Man these guys were dull. Thinking he would find nothing here, he turned away to search the rest of the mansion.

"Very well, sirs and madams. But what am I to do with this?" Curious, Nigel turned to see what the guy was talking about, but his glasses nearly slipped of his nose as he saw what the butler held in his grasp.

Abby's hat!

The Delightfuls rose their hands and shooed the man away. "Put it in our room. We'll burn it in front of Numbuh 5's face at school tomorrow." They uttered bored while Nigel snarled at their cruel plans. They really were rotten spoiled little brats.

The butler nodded as his hands went behind his back once more. "At once, sirs and madams." With that, the man turned on his heel and began out the room.

Nigel ducked out of the way once the butler started to approach. The man's footfalls were closer and closer with each passing moment, and the boy acted quickly to make sure he wasn't spotted. He glanced to his left, and jumped behind a random floor plant and crouched low as the butler passed by. Once the man passed him and went up the stairs, Nigel emerged from his hiding spot, and followed the man. Waiting for his chance to get Abby's hat back.

Unbeknownst to the Brit, a maid happened to be coming out of the kitchen. Moving to end her shift so she could get home. As she rolled her cart along, her eyes idly roamed across the room until they landed on the brown haired child following the butler upstairs. She stopped as she rose a brow. She didn't know the children of the mansion had friends over.

The Delightfuls' soulless eyes shone with a small twinge of amusement as they watched their program. The announcer was currently discussing how a CEO leveled an old worn children play park to make way for a paper plant. Their hero.

"Excuse me, kids." They boringly flicked their gaze to glare at the new maid. They knew she was new because she spoke so freely with them. Like they were buddies or something. They internally smirked at her trembles due to their look, but she pressed on. "I just wanted to let you know that your friend is headed up to your room." After she said that, she scurried out of the doorway. Wanting to get away from their creepy star.

"Whatever." The five mumbled as their turned back to the television. But then the maid's words caught up with them. "Wait a minute!" The exclaimed as they peered at the ceiling with a suspicious glare. "We don't have any friends..."

At least they admitted it.

Upstairs, totally unaware of the threat making its way up, Nigel peeked his head around a corner and waited for the butler to come out of the Delightfuls' room. His fingers drummed against the brown colored wall nervously and his eyes kept shifting and glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was here. He wanted to get this over with. This place was giving him the creeps.

He had seen so many things on his way up. Walls littered with fancy high priced paintings, tiny marble busts every so often, and then there were those ginormous knight figurines. They were holding up swords and axes and looking ready to jump into action at the command. It was crazy talk, but after what he had seen at the playground today, he wasn't sure what was crazy and what was fact. No one saw him trailing the butler. The night staff was all but few and they themselves were busy packing all the leftover luggage from the move. But he still couldn't shake the feeling like eyes were on him. Glued to his form, studying his every step and waiting for the right moment to get him.

So with that feeling sinking in, he wanted to get out of here quickly. It wouldn't surprise him if those dorks had the Boogeyman as a watchdog. His coal blue orbs flickered back to the Delightfuls' door and he waited until the butler retreated down the hallway. Nigel balled his fists and nodded as he ran to the door.

He didn't know what to expect to find within the lion cubs' den. But it still didn't matter. Nigel was still flabbergasted. It looked so dull in here. The room itself was massive and at least the size of five of his rooms. But it was so empty. The dull sky blue walls didn't lift his mood, he wanted to groan when he saw the large bookshelf. Then there was this desk in the far back that almost looked like a workstation. Seriously. Were these kids even kids? It's like they skipped childhood and acted like adults the moment they hatched from their baby eggs. I mean, there wasn't one toy out here, and if he did find one it probably wasn't even their own.

But he didn't come all this way for a toy. He came to get his friend's most prized possession back. He brought his arms up and slowly made his way around the room, keeping on the defense if any thing jumped out. He checked every corner. He flipped through a few books on the shelf, opened all the compartments of their study drawer. Went through the dresser. (What he found in there should never be spoke of.) He even dropped under all five of their beds, which sorta shocked him. He honestly thought they slept together. Well, all the beds _were_ touching each other. If so, then how did they go to the bathroom together? Too many things he really didn't want to think about.

He leaned against the wall and furrowed his brows in contemplation. Where else was there to look? He had searched everything to their bedsheets to their closet... wait, no. He hadn't checked their closet. At the thought of that, he faced the other door in the room. He walked over to it, setting his gaze and preparing to make a quick run for what he came for. But after he opened the door, he got a little sidetracked. "Whoa..."

His awe filled response was because of the sheer size of the closet. Heck, it wasn't a closet. It looked like one of those big filing drawer rooms that made up the walls until the end of the room. He glanced over to rolling ladder then to some of the opened cabinets. He strode over to one and took a peek inside. His eyes narrowed in confusion as he saw what laid inside. "A first edition Care and Share Rainbow Monkey?" He uttered bewildered at the purplish blue stuffed doll. He moved to another draw and did the same thing.

"The rare Yipper Comic Issue #100?" His hand rummaged through the file as he came across more items. "A box of crayons? A basketball? An old Sassy Cat doll?" He muttered surprised as he pulled out the white cat doll. He flipped it over a few times before he caught sight of a tag above her tail. He adjusted his glasses and read it out loud. "Property of Irwin." Who the heck was Irwin? One of the Delightfuls maybe? But he found it hard to believe that those five would have all this stuff lying around. It was like some horde room. That's it!

"Irwin isn't a Delightful. He or she is just some kid. This was stolen. Everything in this room is!" He proclaimed as he dropped the cat forgotten. "Those little, greedy, sticky fingers took all these toys and things from innocent children. All for themselves!" He yelled outraged. How could they? Some of these items had sentimental value. Like Abby's hat. But they stole it. Stole and laughed at the victim's tears. And then when they got bored with it, they disposed of it. That.. that was just sick! You don't steal from kids. Some toddler or whatever their age was. It wasn't right.

At that moment, Nigel became mad. Not mad at Abby for thinking he wasn't ready. Not mad for himself. But mad at the Delightfuls and what they were doing. They were basically torturing kids everywhere. Because they thought they were superior. People who acted like that... they needed to be stopped. And Nigel wanted to be the one to stop them. Not because he wanted to be cool or some hero, but because that was the right thing to do.

"But I have to get Abby's hat back first." He uttered as he continued down the long narrow hallway. After he got that hat back to his friend, he would see about taking down those creeps.

As he continued running, he kept an eye out for the labels of the cabinets. Shoes? No. Action Figures? Nope. Candy Trove? Tempting, but no dice. Suddenly he slowed to a halt as something came into his line of vision. It wasn't what he was looking for, but interesting all the same. "Confiscated KND Tech?" What did that mean? Oh wait. Kids Next Door. Apparently the Delightfuls had stolen weaponry from the KND as well. Nigel grinned as he opened the file. Maybe he could use something in here if his escape plan went south.

He saw lots of appealing things. Some yellow mustard blaster. Some marbles tied in a bag. A long laser rifle thing. But what touched him the most was the pure wooden weapon he picked up. It looked like some melee weapon made from a magnet, wood planks and a saw mechanism. His finger traced the smooth texture, until it collided with a small notice. Curious, he picked it up and read it. "Kids Next Door: **S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R.** **S**olid **P**ine **L**oaded **A**rtillery **N**icely **K**icks **E**nemy **R**ear." After reading the description, Nigel held the weapon at ready and waved it around. How was it supposed to work? Then he saw the trigger. Aiming at the cabinet, he pulled it.

_BAMP!_

"WAAH!" He yelled startled as the wooden collided with the metal of the file. But then the recoil caused him to fly backwards, slamming into the other wall. He slid down and hit the floor with a grunt. Once he got his bearings, he looked to see the large dent he left. Then to the weapon stilled gripped in his hold. This thing had a wicked kick. "Cool!"

He stood up and fixed his glasses. Now to get back to what he came here for. This sure was taking longer than he thought it would. He then idly looked down at the file he crashed into and almost dropped the newly acquired S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. Hats. He'd found it! Not missing a beat, he opened the drawer, reached inside. He pulled out a familiar looking red cap, pumping his fists in air and hissing out a, "Yes!" in victory. He hefted his prize over into his backpack, then prepared to close the cabinet.

"What do we have here?" The Brit froze as he heard that. Slowly, he turned to the doorway at the end of the hall to see the face of the five he hoped to avoid. The Delightfuls glared at him, their soulless eye brimming with malice. "We don't recall inviting _you_."

Nigel snarled, but then fought to hold back a laugh once he made out their heads. "Aw, what's the matter, dorks? Upset about your bad hair day?" Indeed. Their dad was obviously cheap, for it looked he got the gum out of their hair himself. The short blond in front had a military buzz cut, his bowl cut no more. The tall brunette's eyes were visible because he only had a tiny square of hair on his scalp. The skinny girl's platinum blond locks were cut above her shoulders, lopsided and uneven. The pigtail girl had no pigtails. The left one was gone completely, and the right one only had one small braid left. Yes. All of the Delightfuls looked ridiculous.

Expect Lenny. His hair had been safe under his helmet. The boy did his best to hide his chuckles at the other's misfortune.

The other four Delightfuls growled and Lenny growled as well as he got back in sync with them. "Don't you dare make fun of us! You did this! We looked fabulous, presentable, and way better than all of the other whiners of Gallagher. The picture day prize was OURS! We were shoe ins! But then _you_ had to screw it up!"

"I'm glad I did." Nigel rattled back. "If you greedy urchins won the candy, you would keep all to yourselves!"

"...Well, DUH! What did you think we would do with it?" They asked mockingly. "We are the most delightful children in the world. WE ARE! We're the smartest! We're the most well behaved! We're better than all you lazy good for nothing crybabies! We respect our elders! Obey our Father without question! We are the PERFECT children! Of course we deserve to keep everything we want!"

Nigel rolled his eyes as he listened the five's proclamation. "You want to know what you really are? You're all just a bunch of dirty, rotten to the core, spoiled brats!"

"Oh? Do spoiled brats break into other people's homes and take what isn't theirs?" They heatedly asked motioning to Nigel.

"Oh spare me the drama, hypocrites! _Nothing_ in this room belongs to any of you!" He yelled, his anger from earlier coming back. "This hat belongs to my friend, Abigail Lincoln." He then pointed to the cat doll he left on the floor. "That Sassy Cat belongs to some Irwin kid. That Rainbow Monkey belongs to some girl. So on and so on. _You_ brats stole all these things from other children! What did they ever do to you?"

"We took away a little girl's favorite dolly. Oh, boo-hoo." They jeered, pretending to wipe away fake tears. "Puh-lease. Spare _us_ your sob-story. We've heard it like a bazillion times before. And we still don't care!"

"Well start caring!" Nigel growled as he lifted up his weapon. "Unlike all those other times, I'm going to make sure it never happens again."

"What are ya gonna do? Tell on us?"

"No. I'm going to kick your butts so hard, you won't be able to sit down for weeks!"

"Ah ha ha ha ha!" They laughed like it was the funniest thing they've ever heard. "You think you scare us?"

"I've got a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R and I know how to use it … For the most part." He corrected as he aimed the wooden end _away_ from his face.

"A lot of good that will do you all the way over _there_." They pointed out. With it being a short ranged weapon, it would never do anything with them at the door and he so far into the room. "Besides, even at your best, you couldn't possibly hope to best us."

"I beat you before."

"That little matter? Don't kid yourself. It was just a fluke." They then glowered him down as they remembered what he did to them. "One you're about to pay dearly for."

"I'll show you!" He roared as emotion overcame his face. "Everyone thinks I'm some shy loser. Some little boy who can never take charge of anything. But that ends today! I'll prove to you, Abby, and every other person who's ever doubted me, what I can bring to the table! And I'm going to do that by pounding you dorks into the ground and make you return every last item in this room to its rightful owner!"

The Delightfuls arched their brows as they took in Nigel. Suddenly, began to giggle. Then the giggle rose in volume. Before long, the five devil children were crackling with insane laughter. "It's just so hilarious how much you've deluded yourself! You actually think you're worth something? Quit lying to yourself. You're just another kid who thinks he's all that. Thinks he has something to prove, thinks he'll go places. Well, sorry to break it to you, but you're nothing!" They stated.

"The sad truth is that you've let your luck get your head. You are the prime example of a child. Letting some meaningless hope bubble up inside you, having all these outrageous dreams of grander and adventure. Thinking everything will work out and you'll get some happy ending" They then smirked as Lenny produced a switch from his pocket. "But life doesn't work that way. There are dreamers, and then there are realists. And as the realists here, we feel it is our duty to spare you the trauma of having your pathetic dreams crushed when get older, by smashing them right now!"

Nigel couldn't help but feel pity for the Delightful Children for a small brief moment. They didn't sound like children at all. They really did sound like they were forced to age mentally faster than what was intended. They were adults in kids' bodies. It was like their childhood had been ripped away from them, making them grow-up before their time. But the pity passed as he remembered that they were trying to do the same to innocent kids and enjoyed it. It was time to settle this.

The Brit held up the S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R once again and smirked at the five. "Big words, creeps. Why don't you come over here and back them up?" He motioned with a wave of the hand.

The Delightfuls chuckled again as Lenny's hands floated over the button. "You think you get to make the rules this time?" Their expressions darkened as Lenny pressed down. Suddenly the files all around him shook like an earthquake was going down. "The playground may still be in question, but here, it's undisputed!" They rose their hands up, and the cabinets rumbled as they started to fly from their positions. "You're in OUR house now!"

Nigel's eyes widened and he leapt down on the floor as a file drawer tried to take his head off. The cabinets were soaring off the hinges, and the items inside were flying everywhere. It was madness! He happened to glance up, and quickly rolled to the side as one crashed into the ground where he was. Unless he wanted to be crushed, he had to start moving.

The brunette began his sprint down the hallway, bobbing and weaving when needed to avoid getting hit. He glanced to his right and saw an incoming drawer coming in too fast. Panicking, he put an arm over his head and aimed his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R at the oncoming file. Once he thought it was close enough, he pulled the trigger and heard the heavy file being batted away. As he ran, he resisted the urge to kiss his new toy.

The thing had a wicked kick!

Grinning, Nigel continued running. He ducked as a file flew overhead, and shot the next one away with the S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. He jumped in the air as he vaulted over one, then kicked off the wall as another barreled into it where his body had been positioned. As he got closer to the door, he freaked when he saw the cabinets shooting out in his path. The boy fell to his knees, and slid the rest of the way, lowering his torso in a limbo manner to dodge the file. The metal scrapped the tip of his nose, but missed him as whole.

Nigel leaned up as he kept sliding, but then his pupils shrunk once he saw that the Delightfuls had closed and locked his way out. But that wouldn't deter him. Holding his weapon in front, he clenched his lids shut as he waited to make contact.

_BAM!_

The force of the S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. reduced the door to splinters as Nigel came tumbling out. He trembled lightly expecting another file to fly at him. But thankful it never came. The boy hopped to his feet relieved it was over. His mission was almost done. Abby's hat was secured in his backpack and all he had to do was blow this joint.

But wasn't he forgetting something?

As he thought that, a large shadow loomed over him. Metal clicks and snaps could be heard. Then Nigel turned to face the contraption that would be forever burned into his memory. Hovering above him were the Delightful Children. They were stationed in the center dome cockpit protected by another sheet of glass. The machine they rode in looked like a giant floating disc, The sleet chrome metal gleamed in the light, reflecting his look of fear. Prodding from the front was four turrets, ready to blast him with the slightest itch of the finger. Long tentacles curled underneath its belly. Twisting and dragging against the floor. At the ends of each metal limb were sharp razor buzz saws. Their points promised pain for whomever dared to cross their path. Finally, at the sides of the flying disc were two cannons. But loaded in the nozzles were two claw shots. Apparently to reel him in if he tried to runaway.

Nigel took shaking steps back as the machine eerily advanced on him. Fear quivering up his skin; leaving goosebumps in its wake. Terror oozed down his spine as he gazed into the five sadistic faces. The Delightfuls showed barely no emotion. But their wide grins, their soulless eyes flickering with insane glee every so often. Their look was clear. They wanted to end him. To take sweet payback for what he did to them. And for the first time since he arrived here, he began to doubt himself.

And that's what they wanted. "Run."

He ran.

* * *

"Numbuh 8b, have you guys found the decommissionin' squad?" Abby whispered into her headset as she pressed her back into the car. She held her S.C.A.M.P.P at ready as she peered over the hood. It was then she saw teens. Middle school aged and up. She was at the parking lot of Hendry responding to Numbuh 686's distress call. It was only her and Numbuhs 8a and 8b. So they had to play it quiet if this was going to work.

"_Roger, Numbuh 5._ _The were tied up in the boy's locker room._" The older boy spoke as he went to free his fellow operatives. "_We'll have 'em outta here in no time._"

"Good." The girl nodded. She then turned her attention back to the teens and kept looking. She had came here to save the D.O.H-D.O.H squad, yes. But she was mainly her for someone else. Finally her eyes widened as she caught sight of the traitor. Her older sister was near the other end of the lot chatting it up with the high school rep. Apparently the middle school teens were making some kind of deal with the high schoolers. Well not any more.

The world around her darkened and all she could see was Cree. Her expression lit with fire as she cocked her weapon. She rose her hand to her headset and gave her orders. "Numbuh 8b, you and 8a get the decommissionin' squad back ta da S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Numbuh 5's goin' after Cree." She hissed, cutting the feed before the other operative could protest.

Once two teens finally pushed off the car she was hiding behind and made their way over to the others, Abby made her move. Silently, she leapt from her spot and moved rolled behind another car closer to Cree. She then counted down from three and made her sprint. The spy moved like a slick shadow from her spot. When a round of teens walked near, she dropped and rolled into a nearby crater made by the battle earlier. She held her breath and waited for them to pass. When it looked like they were going no where, she had to act.

The shaggy haired teen conversed with his buddy. It was his first operation but he wasn't alone. They were standing next to the crater and waiting for the signal to head on home. The guy glanced to his left back at the others, never hearing how his partner went down. He opened his mouth to address his friend, but was shocked to see he was gone. Before he could make his question, someone from behind swept his legs off the ground. His feet went flying as he toppled over, falling to the pavement with a thump. He was going to yell out, but a hand covered his mouth before any noise could be made. He glared trying to make out his attacker, but all he saw was the butt of a S.C.A.M.P.P and it all went black.

Ninjas _wish_ they were as smooth as Numbuh 5.

Abby dragged the teen's body and dumped it into the crater. Once he was with his buddy, she ran the rest of the way towards Cree. When she got close, she slowed and ducked behind a line of armored teen bikes. She took in a steadying breath, then pointed her sights over the side of the bike. One eye closed as the other gazed down the end of the S.C.A.M.P.P to get her sister in her sights. There she was. Her locks waving in the air, and that cocky smirk still present. It was the same smirk she had when she left them for dead at the adult convention center. Abby grit her teeth as she set her weapon to 'Ouch!'. To stun her and make sure she didn't get away this time. "Alright, _sis_." She hissed as her body tensed. "This ends ta'night-"

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Ah!" Her communicator went off wildly, surprising her. Her shoulder harshly knocked into the bike and it went downhill from there. The bike teetered until it crashed into the adjacent one. The mayhem continued as such until all of the teens' bikes tumbled over like dominoes.

Abby gaped at the fumble she just caused, but didn't have time to comment for the clicks and snaps of weapons roared through the silent night. "Crud."

"Hey. It's more Kids Next Door tryin' ta crash our party." The freshmen Steve uttered coolly as he glanced at the destruction Abby caused. His fingers snapped out "'Ey." As he said that, small laser blasters flew from his sleeves into his hands. "S'not cool, man."

Cree's eye bulged as she saw the operative. She thought she had tied up all those babies. But as her pupils adjusted to the light, she smirked once she recognized the girl. "Well if it isn't Crabigail. Shoulda known you would come to save your little playmates." Her hand smoothly equipped her hip blaster and aimed at her sibling. She noticed what was missing and couldn't help but make a crack about it. "Lose mom's hat already, dweeb? I knew it was a mistake giving it to you."

Abby snarled at the teenager as her S.C.A.M.P.P stayed on her. "I'll get you, traitor!"

"I don't think so, smart one. If we could take those doh-dohs down, then you'll be a cinch!" She flauntingly laughed as she grinned. "It's over-"

"For you!"

As soon as someone said that, spotlights rained down on the stunned teens. Once the blindness wore off, they stared at the newly arrived D.O.H-D. and KND elites surrounding them all. One opened to reveal an operative smirking at his captures. "This little pep-rally is over, _teenagers_! We're hauling you all back to the moonbase for some immediate decommissioning!"

Cree spluttered. "B-But how? We took down all those twerps!"

"So we sent in some more." They all turned as Chad zoomed down, hovering using his jet-pack. He kept his weapon trained on the head teen while he spoke. "Numbuh 100 thought sector V could use a little more backup." He then smirked as he rose his fist. "KIDS NEXT DOOR! BATTLE STATIONS!"

Then all heck broke loose as the teen/kid battle broke out once more. This time in the KND's favor. Lasers and mustard flew as Abby jumped behind cover. The leader reared back up and unleashed a volley of photon shots on the teens coming for her. Trying to vent her frustration. She was so close! Her eyes flicked to the side to see her sister hightailing it out of there. Abby snarled as she took off after her. She wasn't going to get away!

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

There was that stupid communicator again! If it hadn't been for whoever was calling, Cree would be in custody right now. Abby whipped her hand down to give whoever was calling a piece of her mind. "WHAT?"

"_Abby! It's me! WHOA!_" The voice yelled as he ducked something.

Abby glared at her sister's retreating back. She cradled the communicator in the nook of her neck as she opened fire. "Be more specific!"

"_Nigel! It's Nigel!_" He panted as he finally got into a hiding place. "_I've uh... ah... I've g-got a bit of a problem._" He timidly replied.

Abby groaned, not really in a speaking mood. "_You _got problems? Because of _you_ Cree's getting' away!" If he hadn't called at that exact moment... Ugh. "Whaddya want, Nigel? Abby's busy!"

"_I-I need your help!_" He panicked as he heard the Delightfuls swoop by.

Abby stopped at that. Her expression was in a confused state as she tried to clam herself down. Nigel needed her-

"Heh, heh!" That caused her too look up and she could make out Cree. The teen sat perched on top of the fence barring exit and entry from the ground. Her leg dangled over the side and she gave her sister a mocking salute. "Too slow, _sis_. Ah ha ha ha!" The traitor laughed as she leapt over the side, escaping into the night.

Abby's eyes widened. No! If she didn't act now, she would get away again. Her mind only became targeted on Cree as she used her S.C.A.M.P.P to make an opening in the fence. "It's gonna hafta wait, Nigel. I got more important things ta worry about!" She snipped as he hung up, a bit of her anger from earlier seeping in. So now he wanted her help? The _jealous_ Numbuh 5's help? Hmph. The girl shrugged it off and chased after her sister, forgetting about Nigel's stubborn attitude.

And forgetting that _stubborn_ Nigel never asked for help.

* * *

"Abby? Abby!" The Brit yelled into the communicator. When he got no answer, he glared at the thing and chucked it away. Why had she even given him the thing if she was just going to ignore him? The boy was currently hiding in a broom closet. Catching his breath and trying to figure some way out of this nightmare.

"Nigel, come out and _plaaayyyyyy_."

He stiffened as he heard the freaks call him out. As he thought of his situation he couldn't help but start to think everyone was right. He was _way_ in over his head. Suddenly he zipped off the door as metal buzz saws cut through it. Finally the tentacles gripped into the frame and flung the door to the side. Then he was met with the smirking faces of his five tormenters. Crud!

"Hide and Seek is so dull." The five idly commented as the tentacles whipped out and rose over him. "We prefer to keep the adrenaline pumping with a nice game of TAG!" They yelled as the tentacles flew to strike down the the boy.

Nigel yelped as he hopped out of the way. The buzzers missing him and digging into the floor. Seeing that they were still stuck, the brunette turned to run down the hallway.

"Run all you want, Nigel!" The Delightfuls shouted as they hovered on after him. Their hands moved to the control panel to activate some tricks they had hidden. "You may be able to keep going, but your luck is a whole different matter!"

Nigel didn't bother to look back. He just keeping running and panting as he turned a corner. A part of him hoped to lose them, but he knew it was futile. This was their home. They knew the layout better than anyone! He was trapped in a dangerous game of cat and mouse where the cat knew all the twists and turns.

As he raced down another corridor, he stopped to take a breath. He glanced up and looked around for anything significant. There were those line of bust statues. He hadn't been down this way before. He must be getting closer. But his hope was short lived as the heads of the bust started to rumble. His jaw dropped to the floor as he saw tiny metal legs protruded from the head's neck. Soon the heads rose up and used their four little legs the shimmy down to the floor like spiders. He _hated_ spiders. The bust head-spider things turned in his direction. Their eyes glowed red and shoot lasers from them.

"You have _got_ to be- AHHH!" He screamed as he ducked incoming fire. Fed up with this, Nigel bent his knees and leapt over the head-spiders, landing and smashing one as he hit the floor. One jumped up and he quickly turned and reduced it to dust using his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. He sidestepped avoiding another blast and kicked one away as it got too close for comfort.

"Oh there you are." He snapped his head back to see the Delightfuls approaching. "We were afraid that you had actually managed to get away. How foolish of us to think such a thing."

"I've had with you!" Nigel yelled as he tried to think of something. His wooden weapon was useless against their armor. He needed something else. Then he noticed the head-spider trying to sneak up on him. Without wasting time, he grabbed the thing and pointed its eyes towards the Delightfuls, the weapons in it firing off crazily.

The lasers hit the Delightfuls' mech, but only deflected off afterwords. The children chuckled as Nigel dropped the bust. "We'll give you an 'A' for effort," They trailed off as their turrets charged. "but you still fail overall!"

The boy ran ducked into the hallway to the left of him and hit the floor as the lasers tore through the walls, burnt chips flying everywhere. He screamed as his head was almost taken off by an ax from above. The Brit rose his gaze to see the knight figurines from before up and moving about. Was the whole house trying to kill him? Suddenly he heard a crash from behind and saw that the Delightfuls had rammed through the wall. They obviously didn't care what damage they did to their home as long as they took him down.

"We see you have met our KNIGHTAMONS." The children chortled as the clunky metal soldiers began advancing on the boy. "Father only acquires the best for our home." They then flicked another switch and sat back and watched as the tentacles rose to cut Nigel limb from limb.

The brunette looked back from the Delightfuls to the so called KNIGHTAMONS in front of him. Steeling his nerves, he chose the lesser of two evils. In a rush of courage, he ducked as a tentacle swung over him barreling into the wall and he ran as soon as another crashed into the floor where he was standing. He ran straight for the knights, leapt, and slide right under their legs. The mechanical medieval themed defenders looked back to their target, and he was the last things they saw as the Delightfuls' buzz saws ripped through them.

"Useless hardware!" The Delightfuls raged as they accidentally leveled their guards. Then they saw that Nigel was already near the stairs and they fumed. No body escapes them. The blond in front pulled a lever and they smirked as one of the claw shots fired to grab the fleeing boy. "Oh no you don't!"

Nigel didn't dare look back in fear of what they could possibly do. However, his ears picked up the sound of something flying through the air, and he screamed in terror as something gripped into his backpack. "AAH!" He looked over his shoulder to see one of the claw shots had dug into his backpack, and the Delightfuls were slowly reeling him in. He then gave up on all pretense of trying to keep cool, and his legs kicked into second gear while he twisted and struggled to get out of their grasp.

_RRRIIIPPP!_

It seemed someone up there was looking out for him. The material of his old backpack started to tear at the seams due to two forces pulling it in different directions harshly. Finally, it could take no more and tore in half, spilling its contents to the deck and Nigel tumbling down one way and the Delightfuls rocking another. The Brit's body stumbled and he crashed violently into the wall, two paintings falling down due to the force of his impact.

The Delightfuls raged in their cockpit as the boy wiggled out of their clutches for the umpteenth time in the same twenty-four hour span. "What are you made of? Four-leaf clovers!" One of the girls' fist rose and slammed to fire the second claw shot as the other was still being reeled in.

Nigel rubbed his head and he shakingly stood. As he opened his eyes, they almost shut again in fear as he saw another claw shot coming. Looking down to his left, he grabbed one of the fallen paintings and held it up like a shield. The claw shot gripped into the piece of cheap art, and snatched the thing out of his hold. Being saved yet again, Nigel quickly thought of a way to get out. He then saw the stairs, then the other painting laying idle to the side. He grinned as he got an idea.

While the Delightfuls were having their tantrum, Nigel grabbed the painting and hoisted over his head as he made a break for the stair way. As he ran, he caught a glimpse of red and looked down to see Abby's hat laying on the floor. He slammed the painting on the floor and jumped onto it pushing it down the start of the stairs. As he passed his hand snatched up the hat as he surfed down.

The painting rattled against the stairs and Nigel spread out his arms to keep balance. He felt a shadow overcome him again and he gazed up to see the Delightfuls hovering over him, the tentacles curling back to strike. The Brit abandoned ship as he leapt off the painting, the buzz saw tentacles raining down and leveling the stairway. Nigel rolled and tumbled on the carpet as he began to feel dizzy. He looked up to see the front door. He was so tired. His shirt was tattered, bruises everywhere, and all in all ready to get this over with.

Gripping the S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R, Nigel roared as ran towards the front door. Figuring it was locked, he hefted up his wooden melee weapon and crashed through the doorway. The twin frames flew off their hinges, and the magnet on the 2x4 gave out and the S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R was done for. Tossing it aside, he ran outside.

He retreated from the cool stale feeling inside mansion to the warm humid air of the night. The path was long, but he could make out the front gate. He just had to reach it and he was home free. But his hopes dwindled as a deafening crash could heard from behind. He glanced back to see the Delightful barreling through the front of their home and hovered down in front of him with matching grins.

"It's over, Nigel!" They proclaimed as the flying disc's tentacles lashed about. "It's sad though. Even at this climax, we're considering letting you go."

"W-Why?"

"Heh, heh, heh. Because, disposing of you now is almost that big of waste of our time!" They laughed as they taunted him. "There are bigger fish to fry. Far more important kids to unleash this mechanism on. You should feel _honored_ were using it to get rid of you!"

Nigel stepped back as they came closer, but his fists balled and that fire within refused to die. "Your words don't faze me!" He exclaimed. "I may be outmatched b-but I'm not giving up! Y-You hear that freaks? I'm not afraid of you anymore!"

The Delightfuls rose their brows at Nigel stance. "Such determination. Such courage and reckless abandon. We find ourselves impressed, boy. With all that, you could honestly make a decent operative." That was true. The way he continued to stand up to them even with his lack of skill. He could become a real pain in the neck if he got away and joined those dummies next door. They smirked again as they advanced. "Which, is why we _really_ can't let you get away unscathed now. We have too many annoyances already without you coming back at us again."

Nigel glanced back to the gate, gripped Abby's hat, and glared down his foes with a slight tremble. "Do... do your worst!"

"Oh-ho, we plan on it." They uttered gravely. "It's time to show these kiddies that we mean business. After this, everyone will wet themselves at the mention of our name! So prepare yourself, Nigel Uno. You're about to become an example to all those who dare to oppose the Delightful Children From Down. The! LANE!" They screamed to the heavens as they fired on the boy, full blast. Their lasers and buzz saws wrecking the earth around them.

Nigel made a break for it the moment they opened fire. He stumbled as the tentacles cascaded down around his body. The saws left deep incisions in the pavement, and dirt and ruble flew as they reared back up. The laser made tiny explosions as they hit the ground, the heat from them licking his heels. All hopes of dodging became lost as he just ran. A desperate race for his life. Sweat trickled down his brow, his teeth almost drew blood against his; he was biting down so hard. The saws nicked at his back, ripping away parts of his shirt as they got closer, but he was almost there. Just a little more.

The Delightfuls began to become infuriated once they saw he was still somehow escaping them. "NO FAIR! You don't get to win again!" They fussed as they pounded on the controls in a childish fit of anger. "No! No! No! No! NOO!" As they blindly fired, a stray shot flew over Nigel's head. It kept going until it collided with the front gate. The explosion racked the area and the metal crumbled leaving an opening for the boy to get away.

"Yes!" Nigel cheered as he was a few inches away from the exit. "See ya later los-EEEERRRSS!" He yelped surprise as a tentacle tripped him up. He continued tumbling and rolling out of the gate until he stopped in the middle of the street. He wobbly stood up and adjusted his glasses, looking back at the gate with a joyful look. "HA! Two times in the same day! Let that be a … Crud!" He cursed as he realized something was missing. Where was Abby's hat? He-He just had it! Where-

Suddenly he looked back at the gate and his eyes nearly fell out of his sockets. The hat must of fallen out of his hand when the tentacle tripped him up. He grimaced as he began back over to pick it up. That was the whole reason he came here. He wasn't leaving without it. His fingers grasped the rim of the red cap and turned on his heel to take off and lock himself in his room until school tomorrow. His mom was going to kill him for staying out for so late. But sadly, "AAAHH!"

His luck chose that moment to run dry.

The brunette struggled as the claw shot reeled him back towards his foes. It was useless. They … they had finally got him. He clenched his eyes shut as he was slammed against the side of their machine. Their chuckles all he could hear right now.

"HA HA! Who's laughing now? It appears WE are!" The Delightfuls taunted as they broke out into a small victory dance. "We win! As it should be." They uttered as they came down from their high. The five peered at the beaten form of the boy, excited with what they were about to do. "In the end, it doesn't matter how hard you try. You'll fail, just like the pathetic whelp you are."

Nigel opened one of his lids a bit, now seeing their faces up close. Had they always looked so sinister? Or was it because he was at the end of his rope? He shivered in fear, all his fighting spirit done for.

"Aw. Where's all that big talk now?" The Delightfuls mocked, enjoying Nigel's torment. "Truly and utterly pathetic. You can't even muster the courage to taunt us in your defeat. But we suppose it's to be expected from a coward like yourself."

Nigel tried to face them, but found himself paralyzed. What had he gotten himself into. "I-I'm … n-not a coward."

"Oh please. You come up with all that huff and puff, but when you're all alone without your precious Numbuh 5 to back you up, you're nothing. You were born as nothing, and you'll die just the same. A big fat wad of nothing!" They laughed again as the buzz saw tentacles slowly rose from the bottom of the disc, circling around the shaking Nigel. "You know what? You can keep that stupid hat. You're going to need it after we're done with you."

"W-What are you going to do to me?"

"Revenge." They growled as the leaned in closer. "You humiliated us! Ruined our names, clothes, and got bubble gum all in our hair! You made us the laughing stock of the entire playground. So we think it's only fair we do the same." As they said this, the tall one flipped a switch.

Nigel watched as the buzz saws came closer, but that wasn't all. From the center of each blade, a glowing green ooze started to spill forth, coating the entire razor. He wondered what the heck it as, and unfortunately got his answer. Some of the green substance spilled onto his shirt, were it ripped through his clothing and burned into his skin. He screamed as it dissolved into his body. The pain was excruciating. He never felt such a burn before in all his life. He heard the hiss die down and peered at his chest to see a large reddish black piece of charred skin were the acid spilled. His eyes watered as he looked up to the chuckling Delightfuls, terrified of what they were going to with all of it.

"What do you think of our homemade shaving cream?"

"... S-Shaving cream?"

"Yes. We thought it would appropriate." They grinned as the green ooze splashed on their dome glass. "We've heard so many things about you. How you always win the Picture Day Candy prize with that hair of yours and share with everyone. Pfft." They grunted, not moved by his selfless efforts. "That sort of thing should be ours! But since you had to muck up our hair, our chances have dropped when compared to you." The buzzers got closer, and giggles spilled from the five's mouths. "So, to kindly repay for your actions earlier, we saw it fit to give you a nice drawn out _haircut_. One you won't be forgetting any time soon. Heh, heh, he he." They laughed as they prepared to strike.

Nigel was stared frozen at the incoming razors. He made painful whimpers as the acid dripped on his skin and brunt it away as they got closer. As they were inches away from his scalp, the Delightfuls let out one final jeer. "We should warn you, this is our first time doing something like this. AH HA HA HA HA!" The manically laughed as the tentacles enveloped the boy.

All that could heard for the rest of the night was the hollowing laughter of five evil little children and the noise of hair and flesh being ripped away. The razors cut into the Brit's skin and the green acid mixed with red life liquid as he let out a blood curling scream.

"_AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_"

* * *

_They Made Him Bald. But When They Did That..._

_

* * *

_

**Yeah. I know I said this would end with this chapter, but I've gotta hurry and catch a flight so this all I have time to update right now.**

**Gotta go! R&R! I'll update after a settle in.**

**Later.  
**


	4. They Made Him Stronger

"... so the teacher says, 'That's not a kindergartener, that's my wife!' Ha ha!"

"Lame."

"Oh, come on! That one killed in preschool!"

"Yea. Emphasis on _preschool_!" Abby rattled as her back slumped closer to the wall. It was picture day within the halls of Gallagher Elementary, and currently, she and the rest of the lower grades were filled in all over the gym, waiting to get their photos taken. Her dark eyes wandered to the little studios in the back. The adults making some last minute adjustments to the lighting. Then her orbs flicked over a few random children. Some in little sailor suits and frilly dresses. Hoping that they looked presentable enough to win that giant jar of candy. She found it funny that they would fuss over their clothes so much, then go outside and muck them up without once this was over.

However, one thing she was not finding funny was the rather chubby boy next to her. The pale skinned male stood dawned in a light blue t-shirt covered by a bright golden hall monitor strap. His eyes shone with amusement behind his huge yellow goggles and his light brown hair was hidden behind some silly detective hat. Hoagie Pennywhistle Gilligan Jr. was partners with Joe Balooka on the Hall Monitor squad, and apparently friends with Nigel. She had never seen the kid until the three of them happened to be at the park on the same day, and since he was Nigel's friend, she began to hang out with him as well.

Though, she could really do without his attempts of comedy.

"Girl, you honestly have _no_ sense of humor." Hoagie huffed as he folded his arms. "You wouldn't know a good joke if it bit you in the butt."

Abby's brows furrowed as she scanned the gymnasium again, looking for someone. When she saw no trace of the person, she turned to the hall monitor with a slight frown. "And you wouldn't know a good joke if came wrapped to ya in a chilli dog."

"Hey, hey! There's no reason to bring the king of all treats into this." The boy pacified as he held his hands up. Abby rolled her eyes as she turned back to the gym, and Hoagie couldn't help but be curious. "What's with you today anyway? You're all tense and stuff."

The girl's face crinkled a bit with worry as she still saw no sight for whatever she was looking for. Finally, she sighed and glanced back to the boy at her side. "Haven't ya noticed something missin'?"

Hoagie scratched the back of his neck at that. Missing? What was missing? Then his goggles lit with understanding as he sagely nodded. "Ah, I see." He then smirked as he leaned into the wall. His arms folding, and his hat tipping over his eyes. "Don't sweat it, toots. I know this joint like the back of my hand. I'll find your hat before you can say-"

"Not that, fool!" Abby batted in before he could go any further. "Abby already knows what happened to 'er hat." She mumbled as yesterday's events rung in her head. "When I said something missin', I meant some_one_ is missin'! Nigel ain't here." She explained as her pupils roamed over the gymnasium for the Brit. Where was he?

Hoagie blinked a few times before he caught on. "You're right." He realized as he looked around himself. "Nigel's never ever late for school. _Especially_ on Picture Day." He looked back to the hatless girl with confusion. "Is he sick or something?"

"He was fine yesterday." Abby told him as she began to worry. The boy was alright the last time she saw him. He managed to beat those creeps for goodness sake. There was no reason he shouldn't be here now.

After her mission failed and Cree got away, she decided to call Nigel back with the communicator on the way back to her house. She had finally come to her senses and remembered he needed her help with something. But every time she tried to call him, she got no answer. That was when she started to get suspicious. She would of went over to his house to see if he was alright, but it way past her curfew at the time.

When she got up this morning, she tried calling him again. But the results were the same as before. Her parents were peeved with her staying out so late, so they took her straight to school and past Nigel's house. As she trailed to her classroom, she tried telling herself he was still upset with her over what was said at the playground. That was the most logical reason. But the operative couldn't shake this foreboding feeling. Like something horrible had happened. It had been with her all morning and was at its peek right now.

Abby groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Why couldn't Nigel just show up and prove everything was alright? She scanned the room one more time, and huffed when she saw nothing. "Hoagie, you sure you ain't seen …" Her words were muted out by a callous roar of laughter coming from the other side of the gym. She and the chubby boy turned to the front entrance to see an ocean of children flocking near the gym door. Almost every kid in the room was other there, busting their guts at something.

The sense of dread came back tenfold at that moment. Abby's stomach coiled up, feeling like a pit of ice had centered itself in her. Her eyes held a thin veil of nervousness as she looked the crowd. "What's...goin' on over there?" She asked lowly.

Hoagie rubbed his chin as he took in the mass of children, his inner detective flaring up. "I don't know, but something smells like a can of week old..." He paused in his metaphor when his nose scrunched up and he actually began to take an a odor filtering through the air. "...aftershave?" He and Abby shared a glance, then ran over to the giggling crowd to investigate.

Abby filed in after Hoagie as the boy used his hall monitor status to cut through the wave of kids. As they got closer, the girl's frown deepened as she heard some of the taunts being called out.

"Nice hairdo, chrome dome!"

"Have fun playing with those clippers? Ha ha ha!"

"Don't stare too hard guys, he he he, you might go blind! Ah ha ha ha!"

"Arggh, MOVE!" Abby vented as she couldn't take the suspense anymore. She pushed Hoagie to the side and batted any kid in her way to the side as she finally broke through. "Alright, y'all! Abby want's ta know what's so dang ..." Her voice withered away as her throat clogged up. Her eyes grew the size of dinner plates; filling with shock and surprise as analyzed the sight before her.

There in the center of the crowd taking the blunt of all the mockery was some kid who looked like his head went through a meat grinder. His hair... what about his hair? It was gone. Every last strand of it ripped out by some other force. His bald scalp was littered with cuts and band-aids with some red seeping into them. His clothes had black brunt marks, and so did pieces of his skin. With all the bruises and scars, Abby would have said he fought in the Alamode single-handedly. His right hand clutched some red hat that looked awfully familiar, but her attention was more on his face. His cheeks were wet, red, puffy, and stained with tear trails. His glasses were bent and cracked, and behind them she could make out two coal blue pupils. They looked empty and dull as water was brimmed his lids slightly.

Abby stood stunned as the laughter around seemed to grow louder and louder. She was stunned by the kid's appearance. She was stunned that he was even here in his condition. She was stunned that everyone just chortled at him cruelly. But most of all, she was stunned because she knew who he was. "Nigel!" She gasped. Finally her senses came back and she ran to the brunette. Or rather, the ex-brunette.

Hoagie came in from the crowd from where Abby pushed through. He peered on flabbergasted at his bud's new choice in hairstyle. The boy snapped back to reality as his orbs narrowed and he snarled at the giggling children. "Alright, BREAK IT UP PEOPLE! Ain't nothing to see here!" Some kids calmed down and took a few steps back, but when more laughed, he held up his hall monitor strap. "The next bub who so much as chuckles is goin' straight to detention!" That shut them up, as the rest backed away.

"Nigel, what the heck happened?" Abby asked as she placed her hands on the boy's shoulder's. When she came over, the Brit gazed down at the floor. The girl winced as she caught sight of his head again. "Did a wild barber jump ya?"

"You were right Abby." He spoke in a low, broken tone that shocked her. Nigel had never sounded like that before. "I... I just got lucky. I was stupid to think I could actually do something." He muttered.

The way he was talking was starting to make Abby feel depressed herself. What had happened to him? Who done this? Her eyes flared with anger as she tried to get information out of the Brit so she could go kick the bullies' hinds. "Nigel, who did this to you?" When he said nothing, she growled. "Tell me! Who did it? And where the heck have you been?"

"Why with us, of course." Abby's blood ran cold as those five collective voices rung out somewhere behind her. Her head snapped, her braid pony-tail curling around her face as she snarled at the forms of the smiling Delightful Children. "You see, Abigail, little Nigel decided to come over and 'play' last night." They chuckled as their hands clasped together. "We were having so much _fun_ with our new _friend_, that we called his mother and politely asked if he could sleep over." They deviously explained. "It took quite some persuading, but the woman finally agreed when we assured her we would drive him to school today. Heh heh heh."

The girl's form trembled with anger as her nails dug into her palms. "You freaks!" She reared on them getting into a defensive stance. "You're gonna regret what you did! Why would Nigel be at your home anyway? You must be crazy if you think Numbuh 5 is that-"

"Oh, but it's true." They assured with that sinister smirk. Their hands motioned to the boy behind her. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Growling at the five, Abby turned to her friend and coaxed him into explaining. "Nigel, what are they yappin' about?"

The Brit's look never wavered from the polished floor. At seeing his current state, he dropped even more. "... I... I wanted to show you that... t-that I could do it. I wanted to prove it you. Everyone." He then shook his head as he looked away, repulsed at his appearance. "I should of known better."

Abby's fists lowered as she got more confused. What was he talking about. "Nigel. Why would you go pick a fight with the Delightfuls? What was wroth risking your life over?"

The boy still didn't look at her as he rose up his right hand. He then gently placed a worn red cap in her hand and she glanced down curiously at it. The girl almost dropped it once she recognized it. It was her hat. It was back! Those creeps hadn't burned it. Her short lived happiness at getting the clothing back died when she remembered how it had gotten back to her. She slowly peered to the now bald boy in shock. He... he went and got it back for her? She didn't know what to say.

"It meant a lot to you. And I thought if I got it, you would see I'm more than just a 'guy who got lucky'." He spoke, interrupted her thoughts. "But... I'm really am just annoyance. You said yourself. All I would ever do is get in the way."

Abby's look wavered as she started to fidget, losing her calmness. "I.. I didn't say-"

* * *

_"The both of us couldn't do a thing against them! We would get blasted the moment we walked in there because you and yo' cocky attitude would get in Abby's way!" _

_

* * *

_

The girl's response halted as she bit her lip, looking at the ground forlornly. She _did_ say that. But she was mad, she didn't mean-

"We hope that hat was wroth it, Nigel." The Delightfuls spoke, turning the attention back on themselves. They them tried to hold in their giggles, as their eyes sparkled like they had some big secret. "Because thanks to our 'shaving cream', your hair will never grow back!" They laughed wildly. "Let that be a lesson to you! It's what you get when you cross us!"

Abby gaped at them, then looked back to Nigel as he slumped. Her eyes flicked down to her hat and her thoughts ran wild. They made Nigel bald because he went to get the hat back. _Her_ hat back. Did...did that make this her fault then?

The girl clenched her eyes shut to ward away oncoming guilt and directed her anger at the Delightfuls. "You freaks aren't gonna get away with dis! You can bet your sorry butts that the Kids Next Door will throw y'all in the Arctic Prison for dis for a bazillion years!"

"Yeah!" Hoagie finally spoke up as he stood up to the five. "And when you get outta there, you can look forward to spending the rest of your days in permanent detention!"

"Oh please. Ya ain't got nothing on us, tubby!" They snarled at the plump boy, smirking when he flinched back. "As for the Kids Next Door, what threat could they possibly pose us?" They mocked as they shrugged. "We mean, you couldn't even come and rescue some pesky little coward when he was calling for help."

"Nigel didn't..." And once again, Abby found her form reeling back as she recalled what had happened last night.

* * *

_"I-I need your help!" _

_"It's gonna hafta wait, Nigel. I got more important things ta worry about!" _

_

* * *

_

He did call for help. He called her on that communicator she gave him for emergencies. She was so caught up in catching Cree, that she chose to chase after her sister. She wasted her team's efforts just for the teen to get away instead of sending aid to Nigel. And now because she didn't...

"Honestly. We were expecting your sector to come barging in guns blazing." The Delightfuls jeered again. "But it seems you had far more concerning matters to attend to. More important than keeping a kid safe. Isn't that what the Kids Next Door are supposed to do?" They asked with arched brows. "Some friend you must be."

No retort sounded from Abby. She couldn't bring herself to utter a response. Her head dropped low, and finally guilt began to seep in. They were right. The Kids Next Door's top priority was to help kids everywhere. No matter who they were or what they needed help with. As long as it didn't go against their views, it was as good as done. But what had she done? She had went off after her sister and abandoned Nigel, ignoring his obvious pleas. It was no denying it now. They made him bald.

And it was all her fault.

"H-Hey!" A meek voice behind her spoke out. She silently glanced over her shoulder to see that Nigel had spoken out against the Delightfuls. "D-Don't talk to my friends t-that way!" He muttered as bravely as he could. Seeing Hoagie and Abby stand up for him made him better. But what kind of friend would he be if he didn't do the same?

"Oh be quiet." The Delightfuls ordered as the short one reached for something in his pocket. They all smirked as he produced a pair of clippers and turned them on. As the buzz flew threw the air, the five laughed as the bald kid yelped and ducked down in fear at the tool. "Don't try and act all heroic again. You've seen where it's gotten you so far." They proudly said as they giggled at Nigel's fear. "You had your chance. In fact, you really had no real chance at all. You're a failure. This outcome was written in stone."

"It doesn't matter what you think you can do. Thinking and acting are two completely different subjects, and that's all you've proven. You failed, screwed up, nothing more than some petty annoyance. And we promise you that we won't be so merciful if you dare to annoy us again." They backed up their threat by turning on the clippers once more, chuckling as Nigel stepped back. "You want to know why you lost? It's because the odds were in our favor from the beginning! It was five intelligent, perfect, all around superior children against one scrawny, spineless, ugly bald chicken! AH HA HA HA HA!" They laughed louder than before, a few other kids joining in as well. They were all laughing.

At him, he remembered. The boy sniffed as he looked back to the floor, wallowing in his despair. They were right. He was just another loser who could never amount to anything. He had failed to stop them, and now they would keep on doing what they did.

"Leave him alone you meanies!" A female voice roared, halting all laughter in the gym. The Delightfuls blankly turned to the source of the noise. The kids around her moved out of the way to reveal a red headed pigtailed girl wearing glasses. Her face crinkled into a frown as she defended the boy she had a crush on. "He is not a failure! You dorks are! He's braver, smarter, and way more handsome then you'll ever be!" She proclaimed.

"Stupidity must run rampant around here." The five growled as they fully faced their next annoyance. "No one says such things about us and gets away with it, Miss Lard Bucket!" They yelled. Once the girl flinched back, sensitive about her weight, the Delightfuls grinned and began to advance. "Well then, fatty, since you apparently adore your _boyfriend's_ haircut so much, why don't do you a favor and make the two of you a matching pair!" They laughed again as they came closer on the now cowering girl, her back against the wall.

Nigel looked up when the pigtailed girl started to defend him. And now because of him, she was going end up with the same fate. The Delightfuls tortured kids for the fun of it. They were vile little brats, who stole other kids' belongings, never shared, and thought they were better than everyone. His fists clenched as something sparked inside of him. Was he just going to sit there and let some innocent girl endure punishment for nothing? Didn't he say last night that he would help kids everywhere once he got Abby's hat back?

* * *

_"You think you're a match for us? Taking you down will be child's play!"

* * *

_

He froze as their words from yesterday came back. He found his bravery dimming once more.

* * *

_"Sorry brat, but you're way out of your league. You're just like your pathetic friend. It's one of you against five of us!"

* * *

_

They had him outnumbered and outmatched. They proved that last night. What could he possibly do now? But didn't he beat them that one time?

* * *

_"That little matter? Don't kid yourself. It was just a fluke." _

_

* * *

_

Oh. Right. He had just gotten lucky. Was it even his victory? Abby fought them before he did. Weakened them, softened them out and got them out of focus. All he really did was just swoop in and deliver one hit. It just happened to be the final one. He just let his meaningless win get to him.

* * *

_"It's just so hilarious how much you've deluded yourself! You actually think you're worth something? Quit lying to yourself. You're just another kid who thinks he's all that. Thinks he has something to prove, thinks he'll go places. Well, sorry to break it to you, but you're nothing!"_

_

* * *

_

He covered his ears as he tried to block out all their taunts. But it was useless. Their words were all he could hear. All that surrounded him was the Delightfuls' jeers and sad truth. They were right. He couldn't compare to them. Even if he had KND training and became the best operative. He was no match for them. He couldn't do it.

* * *

_"The only one saying you can't do it is yo'self, and here I am trying ta tell you that you can be the best."_

_

* * *

_

Wait, hadn't Abby said that? She thought he could do it before. At the thought of his friend, he glanced to see the dark skinned girl looking back at the Delightfuls and that other girl. She wanted to do something, but she just stood there, stunned. The freaks' words messing with her mind and indecisiveness flowing in her dark eyes.

Nigel glanced back to the five and peered into the red heads face. Fear and nervousness was all her expression was made up of. And the Delightfuls were going to take joy in that. Not unless he did something. He snarled at them, the fire coming back, and got ready to move.

* * *

"_... the odds were in our favor from the beginning! It was five intelligent, perfect, all around superior children against one scrawny, spineless, ugly bald chic-"_

_

* * *

_

"No."

The Delightfuls were over the trembling form of the pigtailed girl, the clipper raised, and with no teacher in sight. "A few snips here, a rip or two there, and then hello split ends!" The blond's hand moved to swipe at her.

_BANG!_

"OW!" But Lenny's shout stopped him. They looked up and saw that a trash-can lid had flew and hit him square upside the head. His helmet spun around blocking his vision, and he flapped his arms about trying to gain balance. "WAAH!" But it was no use.

"Lenny! What are you- WHOAAAHHH!" They screamed as it all played out a like a car wreck. Lenny toppled over, his hands grabbing for support blindly. They gripped something, David's pants. As Lenny fell, he gave his taller delightful sibling an accident pantsing. The tall brunette stumbled around, his pants on the floor and his underwear showing, until he collapsed down grabbing the front of the two girls' dresses. They were both jerked towards each other as David fell, their skulls colliding with one another. Finally, they themselves fell forward and knocked Bruce over. The blond's hold on the clippers were no more as they went flying in the air, only to come back down and skimming what was left of his buzz cut straight off.

The Delightfuls were reduced to a clumsy heap. Lenny's helmet on backwards, David trying and failing to pull his pants up, the two girl's eyes spinning, and Bruce blocking his messed up hair. It was so embarrassing! And it wasn't over. "AHH!" They screamed as garbage suddenly rained down on them. "EWW!" They fussed disgusted as they were covered in moldy taco sauce, leftover fish guts, green and black banana peels, and lord knows what else. They five turned their gaze upward to see who had done this to them, only to gasp in surprise.

Nigel dropped the trash-can, it rolling off to the side. Once done, he glared down at the Delightfuls through his cracked specs, making him look the more intimidating. "Let this be a lesson to _you._" He uttered, his voice shaking slightly, but after all he had been through, he would not waver. "It'll be a cold day at the swing-set before I let you deviants do to another kid what you did to me!" He yelled. "Y-You think you scare me? You think I'm just gonna stand by and let you have your way? Think again!"

"I told you last night. I'm not afraid of you anymore." He spoke honestly. "I may not have the proper skill. I may not have the know-how on how to take you down. I may be just one kid. But I'm not giving up!" He proclaimed as he pointed down at them. "Beat me once, twice, a gazillion times. I'll keep coming back! It's not about getting your way, or having fun, or trying to prove that you're the best. It's about doing the right thing and keeping every kid safe so they can live out their childhood without brats like you trying to screw it up!" He then took a deep breath and got right in their faces. "So let _me_ promise you this. As long as I'm still here, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you never harm another kid, ever, again!" With that said, the boy walked back over to his friends, his body shaking a bit, but still standing strong nonetheless.

The Delightfuls spluttered as Nigel ignored them. "H-Hey! Come back here! Don't you walk away from us!" The boy gave no hint that he heard them, and the five began to get upset. Their eyes flicked to Hoagie, thinking they could still get Nigel put away. "Hall Monitor! Arrest him!" When the round boy just dusted off his knuckles, they growled. "Didn't you see what he did to us!"

"Huh?" Hoagie flicked his gaze to them, as if just noticing they were here. A sly look overcame his expression and he shrugged his shoulder. "What are ya guys talking about? I didn't see nothing." He smirked. He then turned to the rest of the kids in the gym and puffed his chest, showing off his hall monitor status one more time. "Did anyone else see anything?" He asked, threats sparkling in his flyer goggles. Every child shook their head in negative, getting the message. Hoagie smirked as he gave the Delightfuls a false apologetic look "Sorry. No witnesses, no case."

"But...b-but..." The five trailed off. Their nose sniffled, until finally, they burst into tears. "NO FAIR!" They then rose up and ran out the gym, still spilling waterfalls of tears. "WWWWAAAAAAHHHH!"

"Yeah, I'm awesome." Hoagie chuckled as he tipped his hat. He then turned smiling at Abby, but the girl was still looking off to the side with that depressing look. The hall monitor frowned, then dropped it as his buddy came over. "But not as awesome as you, Nigel!" He praised as the bald kid stopped near them. "You really took out the trash. Ha! Get it? Cause... y'know." He mumbled as he saw that no smile came from Nigel's face. "You alright, pal?"

"I-I'm fine Hoagie." The Brit muttered, completely drained from the whole experience. The kid peered down again as he subconsciously rubbed at his now bald head. He winced as sadness came back. It would never grow back. He would be like this forever. "Just...really tired."

Hoagie knew there was more to it, but with both Abby and Nigel so down, he decided it was best to avoid it. "Guess so."

"Children!" The adults called out as they finally reappeared with all the camera equipment. The three frowned. _Now_ they show up? "It's time to take pictures! Would Mrs. MeGee's 1st Grade class report up here?"

The plump hall monitor turned to his friends. "Well, I gotta go. That's my class and... stuff. " He sheepishly added as he rubbed the back of his head. He gave them one last nod before he left. "See ya later."

Abby and Nigel waved as their friend left to take his picture. Leaving them both alone. After a moment of silence, Abby sighed. "I'm sorry, Nigel. Sorry I let all this happen."

"You don't have anything to apologize for." The Brit admitted as took off his broken glasses. Now he would have to get new ones. "You were right. I got in way over my head. I didn't even really beat them the first time. You did all of the work and I just finished them off. If I hadn't acted so stupid I wouldn't be in this mess."

"Hm." Abby lipped, not really feeling any better about it. He was wrong. This was her fault. She should of known better to provoke Nigel. The kid wanted to be right about everything. Saying he couldn't beat the Delightfuls for real was asking for trouble.

Then she went and lost her hat. If she would have paid better attention, Nigel wouldn't have went to get it back. He braved their lair, faced all kinds of torture and pain just for her old hat.

And worst of it all, she didn't help him. She didn't help a kid in need. Isn't that what she told Nigel a while ago? That the Kids Next Door helped children no matter what? It was her job, her duty. She took an oath as a sector leader to do just that. But she failed. She let her emotions override her duty. She got so caught up in trying to nab her sister that she just brushed off Nigel when he obviously needed her assistance. If she would have gotten her proprieties straight, none of this would of happened. She failed Nigel as a friend, and a KND operative.

Her sister was right. She wasn't cut out to be a leader. All of this happened because she was a leader.

For the first time, Abby dreaded her position. If this is what occurred the first time, then what would happen the next time she screwed up?

The girl placed the red hat back atop her head and tugged it down to where her eyes were hidden. She wasn't meant to be a leader. Couldn't handle it. But who was going to be sector V's leader now?

"Hey, Abby." She turned her head to Nigel in acknowledgment. Seeing that she was listening, he began. "The Kids Next Door. You...you said they fight bad guys. Bad guys who mess with kids?" He turned his attention to the doorway the Delightfuls retreated out of. "Do they fight kids like _them_ too?"

The girl raised her hat up as her brows knitted together. What was he getting at? Her pupils moved from him, to the doorway he was glaring. She snorted at the thought of the dorks and answered. "Yea. We fight any opposition ta kids' rights. Even evil kids like them." Suddenly, an idea began to form in her head as she turned back to Nigel. But it would only work if he was about to ask what she guessed he was about to ask. "What are ya gettin' at?" She calmly questioned with a speckle of hope.

"W-Well," He stuttered. "You asked me if I wanted to join. If I wanted to go to this Arctic Base and train..."

"Yea? And?"

"I wanted to know if... if." It was probably going to be hard. Really hard. He didn't even know if he would pass. He glanced up to his friend, surprised to see her smiling a tad, then back down to his glasses. Determination filling his eyes, he let go of all his fears and smirked.

"Is the offer still open?"

* * *

… _And dats how it happened, the rest ya already know. Abby hopes you were paying attention, 'cause she don't think she'll but up ta tellin' dis story again._

_Nigel went and became a Cadet Next Door, and Hoagie too not wanting his pal to go alone. Then they graduated and thanks to ma hackin' skills, sector V got a new leader. He didn't like it, but Abby knew he would be a better leader than she could ever be._

_Soon we got missions, then a month later Numbuhs 8a and 8b got decommissioned. That's where you two came in. And after all that, here we are now._

_I really don't like thinking back on that night. Neither of us do. Nigel kept sayin' I got nuthin' to be sorry for. But I'm still not so sure. If I hadn't poked at him so much, if I hadn't gone and lost ma hat, heck, if I woulda just remembered ma job in the first place, Nigel wouldn't of got hurt and lost his hair. He wouldn't hafta be where he is today._

_But maybe that's good thing. I don't know. But Abby does know this. That night, those Delightful creeps tried to break Nigel. They knew deep down he was something and hoped ta snuff him out before he could start._

_In the end, they were the ones that failed. Yea, it's true they made him bald. But when they did that..._

_They Made Him Stronger._

_

* * *

_

_**End Transmission.**_

_**

* * *

**_**That's it. Hoped you guys liked it. The next thing I'll update is Cold Reception, and I'm also going to be doing another story in my alternate KND universe that I started in Operation: R.E.B.O.U.N.D. which is a story you might enjoy if you're a 1/362 fan. But enough about that. See ya later. R&R!**

**On a unrelated note, I hate jet leg, SO MUCH!**

**Numbuh Phenon, signing out.  
**


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